A record-breaking start to autumn has smashed temperature records all over Australia.

Introduction

Heat records were broken again in early 2016 as the climate sends us yet another disturbing wake-up call.

In Australia, the start of 2016 brought heatwaves and heat spells to most of the continent. Temperature records have been broken from north to south. For the southeast of the country, the duration of unrelenting high temperatures has been exceptional. The arrival of autumn went unnoticed as the high temperatures of summer continued through the first half of March.

The northern hemisphere, in the depths of winter, also saw record warmth. Spells of unseasonably warm temperatures during late 2015 and early 2016 have affected parts of Europe, North America and Asia, and have had severe consequences for sea ice formation in the Arctic Ocean.

Climate change, driven by the ongoing emission of greenhouse gases, is increasing global surface temperatures and worsening extreme heat events. As heatwaves across much of Australia get longer, more frequent and even hotter because of climate change, heat records will continue to be broken and the appearance of summer-like conditions earlier in spring and their persistence well into autumn will become more frequent events.

Despite the record heat, there has been very little action in Australia following the negotiation of the world’s first universal climate agreement in Paris late last year. Australia’s emissions are likely to continue to rise in the absence of any policies to encourage a rapid reduction in fossil fuel emissions and a transition towards renewable energy. The time frame in which we can avoid many of the most catastrophic impacts of climate change continues to narrow as the carbon budget is rapidly running out. The task is becoming more urgent; every year matters.