Intense heatwaves directly threaten crops and native species. Here’s what we can do
Intense heatwaves directly threaten crops and native species. Here’s what we can do
Intense heatwaves directly threaten crops and native species. Here’s what we can do
Sustained extreme heat can damage, weaken and kill all living things, from wheat crops to koalas and fruit bats.
cross-posted from: https://piefed.social/c/environment/p/1789901/intense-heatwaves-directly-threaten-crops-and-native-species-heres-what-we-can-do
During Australia’s unprecedented heatwave in late January, air temperatures reached 50°C in inland South Australia.
Days of sustained heat and hot nights did real damage. A flying fox colony was all but wiped out in South Australia, while Western Australian mango growers suffered major crop losses as fruit literally boiled.
These increasingly extreme heatwaves are now posing a real threat to the crops and livestock on which we rely, as well as Australia’s wildlife and ecosystems.
But in coming decades, intensifying climate change will push summer temperatures beyond the records set this summer.
Everything in Australia has to cope with heat. But the continent’s wildlife and peoples are not prepared for the heat to come,
Welp, it is why we moved to Tassie 3 years ago. Met a guy 2 days ago from Townsville who said him and his family had enough and were in the process of moving down, the heat/humidity were unbearable back in T'ville.