The seriousness of Australia's environmental problems was underlined yesterday with the release of data showing that it appears to be experiencing the effects of global warming more deeply than other parts of the world.

In its annual climate rep-ort, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said 2006 had seen the warmest spring on record, with average temperatures up 1.42 degrees Celsius. The mean temperature for the year was 0.47 degrees Celsius above the 1961 to 1990 average, compared with the 0.42 degrees above average experienced globally.