Sunburnt country : the history and future of climate change in Australia

Intro; Title; Copyright; Contents; Foreword; Part I: Colonial Calamities; 1: The Start of a Rocky Relationship; 2: Unearthing Australia's Climate History; 3: Life in Sodden Isolation; 4: Australia's Climatic Tug of War; 5: Twin Blows; 6: Rescued from the Rooftops; 7: Scarcely a Passing Shower; 8: 'The Changes Are Truly Astonishing'; Part II: Weather Watchers; 9: What Does 'on Record' Actually Mean?; 10: The Weatherman; 11: Australia's Early Climate Records; 12: Frost and Fire; 13: Bursting Bubbles of Optimism; 14: Dust and Desolation; 15: Gumboot Weather; 16: Wisdom of the Elders What does climate change in Australia really look like? "What was Australias climate like before official weather records began? How do scientists use tree-rings, ice cores and tropical corals to retrace the past? What do Indigenous seasonal calendars reveal? And what do settler diary entries about rainfall, droughts, bushfires and snowfalls tell us about natural climate cycles? Sunburnt Country pieces together Australias climate history for the first time. It uncovers a continent long vulnerable to climate extremes and variability. It gives an unparalleled perspective on how human activities have altered patterns that have been with us for millions of years, and what climate change looks like in our own backyard. Sunburnt Country highlights the impact of a warming planet on Australian lifestyles and ecosystems and the power we all have to shape future life on Earth."

What was Australia's climate like before official weather records began? How do scientists use tree-rings, ice cores and tropical corals to retrace the past? What do Indigenous seasonal calendars reveal? And what do settler diary entries about rainfall, droughts, bushfires and snowfalls tell us about natural climate cycles? Sunburnt Country pieces together Australia's climate history for the first time. It uncovers a continent long vulnerable to climate extremes and variability. It gives an unparalleled perspective on how human activities have altered patterns that have been with us for millions of years, and what climate change looks like in our own backyard. Sunburnt Country highlights the impact of a warming planet on Australian lifestyles and ecosystems and the power we all have to shape future life on Earth.