There have been quite a few questions asking which countries and which places in the world are most affected by climate change, and about which countries are getting hotter, quicker.

As you know, the effects of climate change are different everywhere. Overall, we are seeing the planet heating, but this has different impacts in different places.

Did you know that climate change is also affecting where rain falls? How windy it is? When and where cyclones occur? There is nowhere on Earth that climate change isn’t having an impact, but the ways that climate change affects different countries depends on lots of different factors, including their geographical location, their exposure to different types of change, the sensitivity of the environment to change, and the capacity of their human population to adapt. 

Understanding which is the most affected country depends on the risk criteria you are looking at.

If you wanted to know where the highest number of people are affected by climate change right now, you might think of countries affected by more intense extreme weather events, like Pakistan, Haiti, and the Philippines.

Also greatly impacted are countries with large cities in south-east Asia like Indonesia, and Bangladesh, which are losing coastal land with sea level rise, or countries in Africa affected by drought, like Kenya. If you wanted to know which countries are being faced with becoming unliveable or being lost altogether, you might think of countries in the Middle East reaching 50°C more often, or low-lying islands like Tuvalu, the Torres Strait Islands, and the Maldives. 

In Bangladesh, salt water flooding over land has made farming impossible in many areas and finding fresh drinking water challenging.

In other parts of the world, the effects of climate change will be most felt by millions of people in terms of access to water. Many countries rely on water from glacier and snow melt both for drinking water and for agriculture. Countries like the Andean nations especially Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and countries in Southeast Asia that rely on glacier meltwater from the Himalayas could be strongly affected, as glacier ice is now melting faster than ever and less snow is tending to fall in some places – meaning there will be less water available in the long term.

Of course, parts of the planet that are already hot will become much more difficult to live in as it becomes hotter. Tropical areas around the Equator are most at risk here. Tropical areas could be pushed towards the limits of what humans can survive if temperatures rise more than 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. Humans can tolerate dry heat better than they can humid heat. Humans are unable to tolerate what is called a “wet bulb temperature” (that’s a measure of heat and humidity together) of over 35°C for very long. In these conditions, the human body is not able to cool itself down by sweating and such conditions can be fatal. Such conditions may have dire consequences for many animals as well. With temperatures increasing everywhere, this could have very serious consequences as about 40% of the world’s population currently lives in tropical areas. This effect of climate change alone could cause a huge refugee crisis with potentially millions of people displaced by climate change by 2050.

Just in terms of temperature rise, perhaps surprisingly, some of the coldest areas have warmed the most due to climate change. Though the global average temperature rise is currently at 1.1°C above preindustrial levels (and Australia’s average temperate is currently  1.44°C higher than when records began) the Arctic is heating up much more dramatically. Between 1971 and 2019, the Arctic’s average annual temperature rose by 3.1°C, meaning it’s heating almost three times faster than the rest of the planet – with drastic consequences on Arctic ecosystems and Indigenous peoples who call the Arctic home. The following video can help us to visualise which parts of the world have heated up most over the past 140 years, and therefore helps us understand which areas are currently most affected by climate change

While some countries might be worse off than others, and some countries might have more capacity to do something to limit the impacts, climate change is affecting ALL OF US and we all have a responsibility to make a positive difference.

This is such an interesting question that I asked a few of my friends and nearly everyone said, well, obviously dogs! This is because many of us have close relationships with our pets and we can imagine what they might be thinking, based on how they behave.

But can we really know how other species experience the world? Scientists have conducted experiments with animals and found, for example, that an octopus experiences their world through each of their eight arms separately, as if each arm had its own, mini brain! In another experiment, scientists found that some zebra finches seemed to have dreams about singing!

While science can observe some of the different ways that species experience the world, we can’t ever really know for sure how other species might be feeling. But just because we don’t know for certain, doesn’t mean it’s not important. In indigenous cultures, knowledge about how the world works and how to live well, is based on experiences of living with other species and caring for their needs alongside our own. This knowledge has helped humans to live for thousands of years in ways that means the environment will be there for future generations.

Humans have a place within the environment, so just like we miss other species when they’re gone, we can assume that other species would miss us. Understanding how other species experience the world may help us to help us to adapt to changes like those brought about by climate change. It can also help us to see the world in a different way and inspire us to act in ways that look after others.

This is a fantastic question, because it shows that you're thinking about fairness and justice when it comes to climate change! 

Climate change affects each country, city and family differently, and some places and communities unfortunately will be hit harder than others. A way to start thinking about this is by thinking about how different people were affected by Covid-19. Although we were all facing the same problem, some countries with good healthcare services and money were more prepared to deal with it, but some other countries that struggled with poverty and poor living conditions suffered with more people getting sick.  

With that in mind, when we look at all the countries in the world, some are at higher risk because their land is close to the sea level, including Bangladesh and Kiribati, and they may lose land and homes to sea level rise. Other countries, like Haiti and the Philippines, are more at risk because they already experience a lot of natural disasters like hurricanes and floods, which will become more common as climate change impacts are more unpredictable and severe. Finally, countries that suffer from poverty and war, including Yemen and Afghanistan, are at risk as their governments cannot help their people adapt to climate change, or access basic needs such as food and water.  

At home in Australia, climate change can have worse effects on communities that suffer from health issues, such as older people, as higher temperatures can cause health issues. Some rural places already commonly experience natural disasters like bushfires and floods, and will face them more often into the future. Aboriginal people are also at a higher risk from climate change, as they experience more common climate-related health issues and have less access to financial and social support.  

Although a lot of this can sound stressful, I hope that you do not lose hope, but instead know that it is so important that we not only look after ourselves, but other people in our communities that may be struggling. Climate change will impact us all in the future, and the way we can fight it is by supporting each other, and doing all we can to protect people and the planet. 

There are two big reasons why sea levels are rising.

The first big reason is that as water gets warmer its volume expands. You can try this at home. At room temperature, 1 litre of water weighs 1 kilogram. When this water is heated, its mass stays the same but its volume increases.

The second big reason is that ice sheets and glaciers around the world are melting, adding mass to the ocean. From around the start of the 21st century, melting ice has been the largest reason for sea level rise. Ice sheets in Antarctica presents our greatest challenge - did you know that if all the ice in Antarctica melted it would add around 58 metres in sea level height?!

But the ocean is always moving, how do we measure sea level rise?

The ocean surface is constantly moving, with waves, stormy weather, and tides. Scientists measure changes in sea level using lots of frequent measurements by hundreds of tide gauges around the world, some which have operated for more than 100 years. For over 30 years, satellites have also measured sea level from space, covering the wide expanses of ocean far from any tide gauge. These measurements are averaged to give local and global estimates of sea level trends, taking into account changing land height. Measurements tell us that on average, sea level is rising and at an increasing rate. Some places are rising faster than others, in some places sea level is falling, but most locations are currently seeing around 4mm/year in sea level rise.

What can be done?

The most important thing to do about sea level rise is to slow it down by stopping burning fossil fuels. However, even if global warming stopped tomorrow, sea levels would continue to rise, likely for centuries, because of the heat that is already in the oceans. For this reason, we need to prepare everyone connected to the coast for change and improve our knowledge of how sea level rise will affect different places.

Dr Chloe Lucas explains how climate change leads to more frequent and intense bushfires.

Carbon credits, also known as carbon offsets, are used to balance out the emissions released by someone. For example, if an organisation can’t avoid the release of 1 tonne of greenhouse gases, they can buy 1 carbon credit (equal to 1 tonne). 

Carbon credits are generated from activities that prevent greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere; reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions being released into the atmosphere; or remove greenhouse gas emissions that are already in the atmosphere (also known as carbon sequestration). Some examples of offset projects are the installation of renewable energy infrastructure, conversion of waste into energy, reforestation or forest conservation. Many of these projects have additional environmental and social benefits (such as increased biodiversity or creation of local jobs). 

These activities should follow offsets integrity principles and be certified to ensure the activity is genuine. For example, offset projects should be transparent, meaning that information needs to be clear and made available to relevant stakeholders. In addition, it is essential that emissions reductions achieved are additional to reductions that would have happened in the absence of the project, and measurable so they can be quantified and there is support from clear and convincing evidence 

It is important to acknowledge that offsetting should be the last resource, after reducing emissions, when fighting climate change. This means that organisations and governments should not rely only on these projects but work towards achieving real and significant reduction of their own emissions. Nevertheless, offsets are currently an essential part of climate action. 

Switching to renewable energy – especially wind and solar – is essential if we are to completely decarbonise the way we produce energy. Australia is lucky as we have particularly abundant renewable resources. We have really picked up the pace here in Australia on converting to renewable energy: 35.9% of Australia’s energy was generated by renewables in 2022, up from just 16.9% in 2017.

Yes, governments can and should lead the way, and they can do this by building new buildings that produce at least some of their own energy as well as ensuring existing buildings are very energy efficient, so they use less power. Multi-storey buildings, like government office buildings, often don’t have much roof space to accommodate rooftop solar panels. This is one reason why many government buildings don’t make their own power. But new types of solar energy technology now mean that multi-storey buildings can be clad all over with a “solar skin” like this proposed (non-government) building in Melbourne.

Some government buildings do have large roofs that are really suitable for generating all the energy they use, and more. For example, Australia’s airports – mostly federal government-owned buildings – have huge amounts of roof space that can accommodate large scale photovoltaic (or solar) systems. These can generate energy for the airport as well as thousands of homes and businesses. Other buildings with large roofs – for example, swimming pools which are often local government-owned – can produce more energy than they need for water heating and put power back into the grid.

One sector that is leading the way in getting government buildings to generate renewable power is – you guessed it – Australia’s schools. Schools all over the country are running solar fundraising campaigns and initiatives, like Solar My School in Sydney, some supported by local or state government. It’s bringing renewable power to thousands of classrooms with cost savings for the schools. It’s also a great learning opportunity for students to see how their school communities can lead the way in decarbonising and going renewable.

Historically, Australia hasn’t been very good at recycling with only around 11% of what we throw away being recycled into new products and large volumes of our “hard to recycle” materials being sent to our neighbouring countries, such as China, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

However, in 2018, China who received the vast majority of exported recyclable waste from countries such as, Australia, United States of America, and the United Kingdom, said “no more” and banned any country from exporting their waste to China. This ban was known as the National Sword Policy.

China’s new policy was a big wake up call for Australia and forced Australia to rethink and take responsibility for the ways we produce, use and discard products. In 2019, the Australia Federal Government announced a commitment and released a plan to manage and recycle all paper, plastic, rubber tires and glass materials within Australia. This means that every glass jar, plastic bottle, and paper cup you place in your recycling bin, as well as the old tires that get replaced on your parents’ car, will be recycled within Australia, and turned into new products. By 2030, Australia aims to recover and recycling 80% of all waste that we throw away. So although Australia hasn’t been the best at recycling in the past, we are now investing money and research into systems that do make us responsible for what products are available to purchase, how we use the products and importantly how we throw away our products. You might start noticing some new changes to the way we throw away our rubbish in years to come. For example, we might start having more bins for different waste streams, such as a bin just for glass or a bin just for cardboard.

Most of the methane that cows produce comes from burps, rather than farts. Cows fart (and burp) because they have to digest grass, which is quite hard to break down. Did you know cows have four different stomachs? And they chew their food twice? Imagine if you had four stomachs! You would probably fart and burp more too. Seaweed can be added to a cow’s diet to help reduce the amount a cow farts and burps. They are still looking into why this is and how to maximise these results, but it is very promising, as they have found that cows who eat seaweed burp and fart around 80% less.  

Burps and farts produce methane which is a potent greenhouse gas. It makes climate change because it absorbs the light from the sun and so traps the heat in our atmosphere, creating the warming that contributes to climate change.