FLOOD-HIT Australia could face more of the same unless global warming is slowed, a leading international expert in climate change has warned.

The forecast came as torrential rain which has left much of northern New South Wales under several metres of water began to ease, allowing hundreds of evacuees to return to their homes.

Speaking in Sydney, Mr Tomihiro Taniguchi, vice-chairman of the Intergovernmental Planet on Climate Change (IPCC), said the Australian flooding and similar weather conditions around the world were further evidence that the impact of global warming was beginning to be felt.

While he admitted it was difficult to directly link the New South Wales downpour to global warming, he added: "We can all say with high confidence that the likelihood of flooding will increase in the future.

The IPCC’s latest report compiled by a panel of 3,000 scientists has forecast that global average temperatures could rise by as much as 5.8 deg C by the year 2100.

This could cause sea levels to rise by as much as 88 cm, posing a serious threat to low-lying countries, particularly some of the South Pacific’s island states.

The higher temperatures create greater seawater evaporation, which in turn produces more rain.

While much of Australia’s eastern seaboard remained underwater, flood levels began to fall and some roads were reopened, allowing many residents in northern New South Wales to return to their homes.

Up to 3,000 should be able to go back within the next three days, although sewage and electricity could continue to pose problems.

Mr Peter O’Neil of the State Emergency Service said that dead animals and rotting leaf material were still causing difficulties.

"It will be a very unpleasant smelling area when the water goes down and the sun comes up," he warned.

Insurance companies face claims totalling millions of Australian dollars.

But New South Wales Premier Bob Carr, who visited the worst-hit areas thjs week, pledged government assistance.

He said communities ravaged by the floods would be helped by a task force, which would provide a singlepoint of contact for those affected.

It met in Sydney yesterday and will use as a bluepnnt the relief effort following the 1999 Sydney hailstorm which also caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage.

"These floods have affected hundreds of communities across the north of the state and they need a single point of contact to cope with the crisis," Mr Carr explained.

-By Roger Maynard

Source : The Straits Times, Mar 04, 2001

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