Climate Change and Variability
Climate change and global warming are terms used to describe the climatic changes that result from the enhanced greenhouse effect. This effect is the excessive trapping of heat in the earth’s atmosphere caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions associated with burning fossil fuels, agriculture and land clearing.
The impact of climate change will vary in different regions but may include:
- higher average air temperatures;
- changed rainfall patterns; and
- rising sea levels.
Climate variability recognises that many of these trends will fluctuate from year to year, for example there may be some very wet years and some very dry years. Learning to adapt to these extremes is part of the challenge facing the Water Corporation and the Western Australian community.