Climate change and agriculture

''Climate Change is considered the most serious long-term threat to agriculture''
(Australian Agriculture and Food Policy Reference Group, 2006)

Agriculture is expected to be more affected by climate change than other sectors of economies because it is intimately dependent on the sustainable use of the natural resource base. Agriculture is also a significant contributor to climate change. Greenhouse gases are the largest driver of global warming, and the way in which agricultural systems are managed impacts significantly on the production of three of the four main groups of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide). In Australia agriculture is the second largest source of greenhouse gases.

Predicting likely impacts of climate change on cropping and grazing can be complex. Increases in carbon dioxide combined with warmer winter and spring seasons can increase plant growth, but if climate change is accompanied by decreased rainfall, possible increases in growth are counteracted. Also, for cereal crops, temperature increases of more than a couple of degrees can have direct negative effects on yields as the time for grain filling is reduced. Projected changes in rainfall and temperature vary spatially in different parts of Australia and also across and within ACIAR partner countries. For example, annual rainfall (summer-dominant) in Northern Australia may increase while annual rainfall (winter-spring dominant) in Southern Australia may decrease.

G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit 2008

The annual G8 summit runs from 7-9 July 2008 and will cover various issues, including the environment and climate change. The Chair of the summit, Yasuo Fukuda, the Prime Minister of Japan, is proposing a Cool Earth Promotion Programme, which will work towards establishing a framework with fair and equitable emissions targets in which all major emitters participate. For more information see the G8 summit website.

Australian Government White Paper

The Australian Government released the White Paper on Monday 15 December 2008. The paper outlines the final design of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and the medium-term, target range for reducing carbon pollution. This paper follows from the Green Paper, released in July 2008, which canvassed options on the design on the scheme. It takes into account the outcomes of a broad consultation and input from more than one thousand submissions. The White Paper is available in full from http://www.climatechange.gov.au/whitepaper/report/index.html.