South Coast Climate Dashboard

Jerramungup is the eastern most region of the south coast area. Jerramungup has a small but growing population of around 1,200 residents, most of whom live either in Jerramungup town, or in Bremer bay.

Jerramungup covers the traditional lands of the Noongar people who have cared for the lands and waters for millenia.

The region includes the westernn part of the Fitzgerald River National Park, one of the largest in Australia. The park covers 329,039 hectares and is one of the most diverse botanical areas in the world. Off the coast there is the Bremer Bay Marine Park, another designated national park of 4,472 km², that is home to many key species, including Orca.

Jerramungup contributes $113 million of the Great Southern’s gross regional product. Agriculture is the main employer, but the national park and stunning coastline is driving an increase in tourism in the area as well.

See what local government is doing in this community

What’s changing in the climate?

My Climate View and Climate Change in Australia, produced by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, provide local and regional climate change information, including past trends and future projections in temperature and annual and seasonal rainfall. These graphs show changes to temperature and rainfall under a medium emissions scenario.  

Maximum temperature: Average decadal temperatures are steadily increasing. Projections indicate that warming will continue, together with a significant increase in hot days.  

Rainfall: Historical annual rainfall trends have declined. Future projections anticipate that annual rainfall will continue to decrease, particularly in winter and spring. 

The average annual maximum temperature for the Shire of Jerramungup showing past temperature trends from 1965 and future projections to 2085. Source: MyClimateView, Variable: average summer temperature, region: Bremer Bay

The total annual rainfall for the Shire of Jerramungup showing the past rainfall from 1965 and future rainfall projections to 2085. Source: MyClimateView, Variable: annual rainfall, region: Bremer Bay

The current state of emissions

With a small population of around 1,200 people and a small commercial sector, the majority of emissions for Jerramungup come from agricultural activities. This is a mix of broadacre crops and livestock. For broadacre crops like wheat and barley, emissions generally arise from fertilizer use and diesel. For livestock, the majority of emissions come from methane emitted from the animals’ digestion, and the breakdown of manure.

The carbon emissions for the Shire of Jerramungup (total = 138,000 tCO₂e, 21/22), divided into emissions source. Hover your cursor over the donut to see what makes up Jerramungup’s emissions profile. Source: snapshotclimate.com.au

Where we’re heading

Under a Business as Usual scenario, Jerramungup’s emissions are anticipated to increase over the coming years as there are further expansions in agricultural activity and associated economic growth.

This increase will be offset somewhat by the greening of the electricity grid (which should decrease in its emissions intensity by 2050, making many households and businesses green by default) and the adoption of other solutions like solar PV and the electrification of transport.

The carbon emissions projection from 2022 to 2050 for the Shire of Jerramungup, separated by sector. Hover your cursor over the bars to see what is projected to make up Jerramungup’s emissions profile by sector each year. Source: South Coast Alliance Regional Net Zero Plan – Ironbark Sustainability 2022

Opportunities for action

The South Coast Alliance has looked a a range of actions that the community of Jerramungup can take to see what are the most effective actions.

These local actions vary from installing solar PV systems, to driving more efficient cars, to changes to agricultural practices that reduce fertilizer use. The collective impact of these actions could be substantial – by 2050 they may reduce community emissions by almost 70%.

To better understand these actions and what options you can take yourself, click through below.

Two possible scenarios for emissions in the Shire of Jerramungup from 2022 to 2050. The red line indicates the projected emissions if the community were to continue Business as Usual. The green line shows the potential reduction in emissions if all actions on this website are implemented. Source: South Coast Alliance Regional Net Zero Plan – Ironbark Sustainability 2022