Warmer weather 'sign of climate change'.


A leading climate scientist says the forecast hot weather this week could soon be the norm rather than the exception in South Australia.
Dr Barry Pittock, who is a CSIRO researcher and former leader of the Climate Impacts Group, says South Australia is in serious trouble because of climate change.
"The whole Earth is warming and I think the changes we see locally have to be interpreted in that context," he said.
Dr Pittock says poor inflows into the River Murray are likely to be linked to climate change and he predicts inland drought conditions will worsen.
He says people who argue that global warming is not happening, or will not start until some time in the future, are in denial.
"I think there are quite a few people out there who still think that and clearly our Prime Minister's one of them," he said.
"The computer models of climate certainly show it getting a lot warmer.
"There's an uncertainty range but we're talking by 2050 of somewhere between one and five or six degrees warmer."
New legislation
South Australian Premier Mike Rann says the State Government is acting.
He wants 20 per cent of South Australia's electricity to be generated from renewable energy within eight years.
"We're going to be ... introducing legislation this year which will be the first in Australia to actually legislate for greenhouse gas reductions," Mr Rann said.
The Premier wants the state legislation to be adopted nationally.
"Australia itself not only refuses to sign up to Kyoto but also of course is a major contributor to CO2 emissions," he said.
"In South Australia we've taken note of the scientific evidence and that's why we're taking action.
"We want to lead by example in Australia."