Research is being conducted throughout the world to track and understand climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), formed by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, reviews the scientific evidence for climate change and summarises the findings in regular assessment reports. 

In 2021, the IPCC released the first of three Working Group reports that will comprise the Sixth Assessment Report. It said that ‘It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed our atmosphere, ocean and land’. The remaining Working Group reports are due in 2022.

In Australia, our national scientific organisations are also assessing changes to our climate. The CSIRO and Australian Bureau of Meteorology produce regular reports including the State of the climate report, which summarises observations of Australia’s climate and how it has changed. 

Observations, reconstructions and climate modelling paint a consistent picture of ongoing, long-term climate change.

State of the climate 2020

In NSW, the NSW Government leads the NSW and Australian Regional Climate Modelling (NARCliM) project, which provides climate projections to support local decision makers.