Australia’s climate crises are about to get much worse, new government report warns
No community will be immune from increasingly frequent and simultaneous climate events such as extreme heat and floods, the report says
No Australian community will be immune from climate risks that will be cascading, compounding and concurrent, the National Climate Risk Assessment report says, with the government warning that natural ecosystems and biodiversity will face major challenges.
“We are living climate change now. It’s no longer a forecast, a projection or prediction – it is a live reality,” Climate Minister Chris Bowen said. “It’s clear every degree of warming we prevent now will help future generations avoid the worst impacts in years to come.”
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The report, prepared independently for the government, found that 1.5 million people living in coastal areas would be at risk of sea level rise by 2050. By 2090, about 3 million people will be at risk from rising oceans.
Losses in Australian property values are estimated to soar to A$611 billion (US$406 billion) by 2050 and could increase to A$770 billion by 2090.
Should the temperatures increase by 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit), heat-related deaths could soar by over 400 per cent in the country’s most-populated city of Sydney, the report said.