| Summary: | Over time, greenhouse gas emissions havecaused observable changes in Antarcticaand the Southern Ocean, triggering a warmerclimate, more extreme weather and sea-levelrise. These changes affect planetary, andAntarctic and Southern Ocean systems. Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystemsand the human communities that depend onAntarctica are increasingly affected, includingthe 1.3 billion people living in low lying regionsaround the world. In Australia, our fisheries, natural systemsand human communities are encounteringextreme weather and climate trends some ofwhich are linked to the changes emerging inthe Antarctic. Achieving climate resilience is currently achallenge in the Antarctic Treaty Systemincluding management of protected areas.Rapid and ambitious actions in the currentdecade will influence whether these changescan be avoided or will become irreversiblefor centuries to millennia.
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