Globally, eleven of the last twelve years (1995 -2006) rank among the 12 warmest years recorded since 1850. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has reported that since the middle of the 20th century, Australian temperatures have, on average, risen by about 1°C with an increase in the frequency of heatwaves and a decrease in the numbers of frosts and cold days. Rainfall patterns have also changed - the northwest has seen an increase in rainfall over the last 50 years while much of eastern Australia and the far southwest have experienced a decline.
One degree
