Wondering what Australia might look like in a hotter world? Take a glimpse into the distant past

By Tim Flannery, Honorary fellow, The University of Melbourne
Josephine Brown, Senior Lecturer, The University of Melbourne
Kale Sniderman, Honorary Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne

Current concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in Earth’s atmosphere are unprecedented in human history. But CO₂ levels today, and those that might occur in coming decades, did occur millions of years ago.

Wouldn’t it be useful to go back in time and see what Australia looked like during those periods in the distant past? Well, scientists – including us – have done just that.

These studies, which largely involve examining sediments and fossils, reveal a radically different Australia to the one we inhabit.

The continent was warmer and wetter, and filled…

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