Why Australia needs to care a lot about global warming

Australia is about the size of the continental US, but only has 7% of the population. Over 60% of their population lives in five coastal cities.

The reason for both of these facts is that Australia is by far the driest continent. Much of the land is covered in desert, and the country's climate is significantly impacted by ocean currents, like El Nino.

As the world warms up, Australians stand to lose the delicate balance they have established with nature. As the continent becomes even more dry, sources of fresh water would dry up.

Expensive desalination plants would be required in every city. Farmers would probably be run out of business, and Australia would lose agriculture as a key export, needing to import it instead.

Not only that, but the enormous tourism industry could possible lose key attractions like the Great Barrier Reef, whose famous corals are losing ground to warming seas, overfishing, and pollution.

In the wake of the threat to their way of life, Australian citizens have recently gotten much more hardcore about the environmental demands. In the 2007 national elections, climate change became the key issue. The party and leader that won had the most aggressive proposed policies, including signing the Kyoto Protocol,cutting emissions 60% by 2050, and a renewable energy target of 20% by 2050. The opposing party suggested only a voluntary emissions reduction program.

Recent reports suggest that the proposed Australian cuts may not be big enough. Professor Ross Garnaut suggests 80% might be a better target if Australia wants to avoid being the "biggest loser" amongst developed nations.