Segment: The Fear Factor: Climate Change or Part of Natural Cycles
Episode: Autumn 2020, Ep 1
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane
TX Date: 22 February 2020

Trevor meets with climate scientists to discuss the long-term impacts of climate change on our Australian environment.

• The debate over climate change has become divisive. Some people argue that climate change is a myth created to increase taxes, or that it is just a natural part of our Earth’s cycles. However, the rapidity and growth of climate change has scientists worried.
• A drying climate and more bushfire emergencies have troubled our Aussie environments this year. Dr. Jatin Kala of Murdoch University makes the link between human impact and these emergencies.
• Dr. Kala says when you have hot, dry climates, that the fuel of our vegetation becomes very dry and will burn at an accelerated rate.
• In some instances, the severity of the fires has changed the landscape forever, with trees, plants, and ecosystems unable to recover.
• Dr. Rachel Standish of Murdoch University says the best thing is to look at the nature nearby as a cue for the sort of species that do well in those soils.
• Dr. David Suzuki, says that with our warm climate we should be focussing on solar as our primary source of energy, investing in solar energy to reduce our carbon emissions.
• Over the past 6 months with fires raging through our East Coast, and the question of climate change has never been more important.