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A team of international scientists have released a report on climate change in Antarctica, finding that it is a unique and fragile environment, but faces a devastating future unless urgent action is taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The report modelled the best and worst-case scenarios to analyse the impact of climate change in Antarctica. The report’s lead author Bethan Davies, a Professor of Glaciology at the UK’s Newcastle University, explained more of the team’s findings.
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00:01Well, Antarctica is a unique and fragile environment, but it's facing a devastating future unless
00:09urgent action is taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
00:12That's the finding from a team of international scientists who looked at the impact of climate
00:17change on Antarctica, modelling both the best and the worst case scenarios.
00:22Joining us now is the report's lead author, Bethan Davies, Professor of Glaciology at
00:27the UK's Newcastle University.
00:29Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
00:31So your team has modelled the best and worst case scenarios when it comes to the impacts
00:37of climate change on Antarctica.
00:39Start off, what's the best case scenario here?
00:43The best case scenario would be if we maintain global heating to less than two degrees centigrade
00:50above pre-industrial.
00:53It would have been better to have been one and a half degrees centigrade above pre-industrial,
00:57but that's increasingly unlikely to happen.
01:00It's going to be extremely challenging to meet that.
01:02But we can still meet two degrees above pre-industrial.
01:06And in fact, if we enacted the pledges and commitments, the net zero commitments that were raised at
01:12COP most recently, the most recent COP, that would limit global heating to less than two degrees centigrade.
01:18So that would be the best case scenario.
01:21And what's the worst case scenario?
01:24The worst case scenario would be a world where we have continued emissions, continued carbon emissions.
01:31So carbon emissions keep on rising.
01:33And we have increased nationalism, protectionism, a resurgence of countries being more, less cooperative.
01:43And under those scenarios, we'd see really devastating and irreversible impacts in Antarctica.
01:50So really, the choice is clear, but that choice has to be made now in order to meet that best
01:56case scenario.
01:58Antarctica is such a unique and amazing environment, but very fragile as well.
02:04What have been the impacts we've already witnessed there from climate change?
02:09We've already seen a lot of impacts in Antarctica.
02:12Some of the biggest things that we've seen have been the collapse of ice shelves, which are the floating extensions
02:19of glaciers.
02:19And they are, they're enormous, but they're also really important because they hold back the glaciers on land.
02:27When we lose those ice shelves, the glaciers flow faster and accelerate into the ocean.
02:32So it's really important that we don't lose any more ice shelves.
02:36We've also seen more extreme weather on the Antarctic Peninsula.
02:40We've seen heat waves.
02:41We've seen atmospheric rivers that have brought rain, liquid rainfall in the middle of winter to the Antarctic Peninsula.
02:50These heat waves have also resulted in sea ice minimums, so abnormally low sea ice conditions.
02:57And that has a lot of impacts in a lot of different ways.
03:00For example, if we have less sea ice, we get more glacier carving, which is not good for the health
03:05of the glaciers.
03:06But it's also not good for the health of the penguins and the whales that need the sea ice to
03:10survive.
03:12And of course, these changes that we see in Antarctica impact the rest of the world too.
03:17What happens in Antarctica has flow-on effects.
03:20It plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate as well.
03:25That's right.
03:26So if we think about sea ice again, sea ice is really bright and white and reflective.
03:31So when we lose the sea ice, we make the ocean darker, which means it absorbs more heat and it
03:38amplifies polar warming.
03:39It's also an important part of the environment where krill, which are little crustaceans live.
03:46They actually eat the algae that exists within the sea ice.
03:50When they die, these krill fall to the sea floor and they take the carbon in their bodies with them.
03:55So they form a really important part of how the Southern Ocean is able to take up and sequester carbon.
04:01When we lose the sea ice, we lose a big ability of the Southern Ocean to absorb global carbon dioxide,
04:09atmospheric carbon dioxide.
04:12Also, we see changes in oceanic currents and atmospheric circulation.
04:16So the loss, the changes that were seen in Antarctica, they don't stay in Antarctica.
04:21We would also see sea level rise from the loss of the land ice, the glaciers in Antarctica.
04:27And that would mean a global consequence.
04:31You've looked at both the best and the worst case scenarios and outlined how critical the response is.
04:38When you look at the global response to climate change as it stands today, the action that's being taken or
04:44not taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions, do you feel hope or despair?
04:51When we look at what happened in COP30, we can see hope because we can see that there is a
04:57will and that is a pathway to maintaining global carbon dioxide emissions to a state where we don't warm the
05:03global temperatures above two degrees centigrade.
05:06So there is hope and we can do it. And there is a will and there is a clear pathway
05:10to do it.
05:11What we need is to maintain these commitments to net zero.
05:14They're really, really important to avoid the loss of these beautiful, pristine systems and these wonderful animals like the penguins
05:23and the seals and the whales that we know and love from Antarctica.
05:27Professor Beth and David, we really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so much.
05:31Thank you. Thank you.
20:35That's right.
20:36So if we think about sea ice again, sea ice is really bright and white and reflective.
20:41So when we lose the sea ice, we make the ocean darker, which means that absorbs more heat and it
20:48amplifies polar warming.
20:50It's also an important part of the environment where krill, which are little crustaceans live, they actually eat the algae
20:57that exists within the sea ice.
21:00When they die.
21:01When they die, these krill fall to the sea floor and they take the carbon in their bodies with them.
21:06So they form a really important part of how the Southern Ocean is able to take up and sequester carbon.
21:12When we lose the sea ice, we lose a big ability of the Southern Ocean to absorb global carbon dioxide,
21:19atmospheric carbon dioxide.
21:22Also, we see changes in oceanic currents and atmospheric circulation.
21:26So the loss, the changes that were seen in Antarctica, they don't stay in Antarctica.
21:31We would also see sea level rise from the loss of the land ice, the glaciers in Antarctica.
21:37And that would be a global consequence.
21:41You've looked at both the best and the worst case scenarios and outlined how critical the response is.
21:48When you look at the global response to climate change as it stands today, the action that's being taken or
21:54not taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
21:57Do you feel hope or despair?
22:01When we look at what happened in COP30, we can see hope because we can see that there is a
22:07will and there is a pathway to maintaining global carbon dioxide emissions to a state where we don't warm the
22:13global temperatures above two degrees centigrade.
22:16So there is hope and we can do it.
22:18And there is a will and there is a clear pathway to do it.
22:21What we need is to maintain these commitments to net zero.
22:24They're really, really important to avoid the loss of these beautiful, pristine systems and these wonderful animals like the penguins
22:34and the seals and the whales that we know and love from Antarctica.
22:37Professor Beth and David, we really appreciate your time this morning.
22:40Thank you so much.
22:43Could watch those pictures all day of those penguins.
22:46Such an amazing environment and so one that you, you know, we have to protect.
22:52Well, New South Wales ambulance officials say a new volunteer program is helping to reduce response times in remote areas.
22:59Eight towns across the state now have a community emergency response team made up of volunteer paramedics who can fill
23:06the gap in an emergency.
23:09Living a long way from town can be the difference between life and death in an emergency.
23:14These community volunteers are determined to change that.
23:18Think about it as a first aid but on steroids.
23:22Volunteers are given an ambulance vehicle and nine months worth of advanced first aid training.
23:27Kathleen Sneddon is a support analyst by day, but if she gets the call, she can be on the scene
23:33in minutes.
23:34The Rock, around half an hour from Wagga, is the latest town to have a response team hit the streets.
23:40I went to a job on Friday and we were there within two minutes of the call and we were
23:46able to provide, I guess, the control in the situation to be able to stabilise the patient.
23:52We've had a cardiac arrest, we've had motor vehicle accidents.
23:55You'd be lucky to get an ambulance there within 20 minutes.
23:58It's one of eight operating across regional New South Wales.
24:02In an ideal world, we would have an ambulance on every corner, but that's not achievable.
24:07This small fishing village on the mid-north coast got its own team in December.
24:12Darren Burke is a former army medic and says Harrington's volunteers have already responded to more than 60 call outs.
24:19We do get cut off from the community a bit. If we can provide that initial care until the professional
24:24paramedics arrive, that's what it's all about.
24:27While costs are covered, volunteers aren't paid, but the service can act as a stepping stone to a full-time
24:32career change.
24:34I've actually enrolled in paramedicine, so I'm going to uni this year and doing the whole course so I can
24:40be a paramedic.
24:41We hold up that torch, we take it with us and we go out there and respond just as they
24:46would.
24:47Responding first and saving lives. Jess Scully, ABC News, The Rock.
24:54Well, Jordan Cowan is one of the most talented breakout stars of this year's Winter Olympics and he's not even
25:01competing.
25:01The 35-year-old is a figure skating cameraman and we spoke to him a little while ago from Milan
25:07about his rise to fame.
25:09I've been working, I think, behind the scenes making figure skating videos for the last eight years.
25:15I think much of my work has gone viral, but I always stayed behind the camera for a reason.
25:25Obviously here at the Olympics it's kind of impossible, but it's been quite amazing.
25:31Yeah, I bet. It's the first time I believe in Olympic history that a camera operator has gone on to
25:37the skating rink.
25:38How does that sit with you?
25:41Honestly, it's been a dream. I think from the moment I started skating with a camera and realized that this
25:47is something I wanted to pursue,
25:49I kind of had it in my mind that one day there could be a camera on the ice for
25:55figure skating at the Olympics.
25:56It just felt like the pinnacle of what I wanted to do. So, yeah, it's happened.
26:03We're seeing the pictures of you now at the Olympics and I must say looking very smart in your white
26:10tuxedo.
26:12Thank you. I figured if I was going to be doing the Olympics in Milan, I should do it in
26:17style.
26:17And that you have achieved. Tell me a little bit more about how you got into figure skating.
26:26Well, figure skating, I think, was maybe my first full time passion.
26:32I started skating when I was eight in California and eventually became an ice dancer who moved to Michigan to
26:40train with all the great skaters of that time.
26:43That took me to Team USA, where I placed seventh in the country in my final season.
26:48And from that point on, it was a matter of figuring out what to do after retirement.
26:53And how then did you marry the two, your camera work with your skill by watching pictures of you here
27:00back in 2012?
27:04I mean, I think every athlete who spends all of their time competing and training thinks to themselves, like, what
27:13else could I be doing if I wasn't skating?
27:16And I realized after I was done competing after that career was over, I thought I really want to get
27:21into film and cinema.
27:22So when I started filming skating on the ice, it was more of an exercise.
27:27It was more like training myself to learn film.
27:31And thankfully, I had this great, great background of figure skating to kind of carry me along as I learned
27:37that other hobby.
27:38Tell me, Jordan, what is the relationship like between you, the camera operator on the ice and your subject, the
27:46ice skater?
27:49I think the number one is trust. The skaters know that I come from their background.
27:54I'm very empathetic to what they need, the space, the timing, the safe.
28:05I want the best for them and I want to make them look good.
28:08And I also want their fans to appreciate how they look.
28:13So I think they understand that it's a full collaboration between us.
28:17I'm going to persevere. The line's not great, but I just want to ask you one or two more things.
28:22I mean, growing up as a kid, I loved watching, you know, figure skating and Torval and Dean were it
28:28for me.
28:29Did you have an it skater or an it couple that you just looked up to?
28:38I mean, I think I was going back to that generation of movie stars.
28:45And of course, Jane Torval and Christopher Dean were two people I got to work with when I was on
28:50the show Dancing on Ice.
28:51And to get to just be with the people who really brought skating to the forefront of of everything after
28:59that.
29:00And of course, the immense creativity. Skaters like them never really let skating be the limiting factor to them.
29:07Skating was part of their art.
29:08They wanted to push skating into more mediums and borrow from other mediums and bring it back to skating.
29:14That really inspired me in film because I feel like I'm taking things from outside of the skating world in
29:20the movie world, in the in the awards world and trying to put skating into it.
29:27Finally, Jordan, were there any standout moments for you at the Olympics?
29:37I think it was watching my generation of skaters have their last Olympics, those that kept training even after I
29:45retired.
29:46That was a really special moment for me.
29:48Well, it's been special to watch, obviously, what we see on the camera, but getting to know the person behind
29:56the camera as well.
29:57Jordan Cowan, many thanks for your time.
30:00Thank you so much.
30:03Now, a musician running rap workshops at a juvenile detention centre in southern New South Wales hopes this often misunderstood
30:11genre can be used as a tool for change.
30:13The goal is to help curb the state's high youth reoffending rates.
30:20Artist Turquoise Prince is reframing the narrative around rap.
30:25It's just such a positive thing to pour your energy and emotion into because there's always like negative things that
30:36they can pour their energy into.
30:39He's been running rap workshops at the Riverina Youth Justice Centre for the past few months.
30:44Kids behind bars are hungry for the creative outlet.
30:48They walk in knowing fully that they're in jail.
30:51By the end of the session, they're relaxed, they're giddy again.
30:57You see the kids contemplating change and that contemplation turns into a motivation to change.
31:02It's a program that doesn't claim to be the sole answer, but part of the solution to a healthier life.
31:07Most people who experience custody will be back in our community and we want to see them transition back into
31:12the community in a really positive way.
31:14So anything that can help with that is really important.
31:17Especially for a state where almost 50% of young offenders are likely to reoffend.
31:23Music programs which allow for creative expression can have life changing outcomes for kids behind bars.
31:29A lot of young people who end up in custody have had trauma in their backgrounds.
31:36And so this might also be a way for them to help with that healing process.
31:41For Teon, it's a program he only plans to run in juvenile detention centres.
31:50Kids aren't always given the tools at a young age to succeed in life or even like figure out how
32:00to navigate their way through life positively.
32:04Using a genre sometimes associated with crime as a way to combat it.
32:10Justina Basta, ABC News, Wagga Wagga.
32:15Well, Daniela in Tilly joins us again in the studio for more sport.
32:19And Danny, the Sydney Kings are top of the pops.
32:21Yeah, a huge win against the Brisbane Bullets, 117-77.
32:28And that helped consolidate a top spot on the ladder.
32:31The Kings had been on a 10-match winning streak, but did need that victory to secure the minor premiership.
32:37Kendrick Davis, he boosted his MVP chances with 31 points.
32:42And Matthew Della Vadova finished with 13.
32:45So the Kings will now have to wait and see who they take on in the playoff series at the
32:50Bullets.
32:50Unfortunately, finish the season with 13 straight losses.
32:53In the other match, the Wildcats defeat the Adelaide 36ers 86-74 in Perth.
32:59And that secures a fourth spot.
33:01Let's talk about NBA superstar Steph Curry.
33:04Maybe we'll talk about NBA superstar Steph Curry.
33:04Sure, I'll be sharing with you guys today with their first sponsor.
33:04I'll see you next week on this tab.
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