Study: our climate of rising fear

Andrew Mathieson
Climate change could increase Geelong region temperatures 2.5 degrees and sea levels .8 metres by 2070, according to new State Government research.
The Department of Sustainability and Environment study also found that the region’s spring rain could plummet as much as 21 per cent without cuts to carbon emissions.
The figures for the Geelong region cover an area including the city, Bellarine Peninsula, Surf Coast, Colac and the Otways.
Department climate change adaptation branch manager Rod Anderson said the results painted a bleak picture without action to combat climate change.
“The projections are showing a drier climate and a warmer climate,” Mr Anderson said.
“They’re talking about increasing sea levels. For a position on the coast like Geelong, those things would all hold true.”
Mr Anderson said coastlines surrounding the Geelong region without the protection of Corio Bay were at a higher risk of “heavy” erosion from the impacts of climate change.
“When sea levels are rising, there’s an increase in erosion and flooding where there is extreme events, so, if you’re getting big storms, the flooding will be a little worse than what you might currently get.”
Mr Anderson said soft cliffs and sand coastlines would temper further erosion. The research also predicted fewer days of rainfall but with a greater intensity, leading to more storms.
Run-off in the nearby Barwon and Moorabool Rivers could fall up to 50 per cent.
Mr Anderson said the stark results had prompted the department to undertake a new study, Future Coasts, to investigate coastal vulnerability.
The study would focus on Port Phillip Bay and the Geelong region, he said. The department would release results at the end of 2009.