THE CLIMATE COUNCIL WARNS our first National Climate Risk Assessment released today is a horror story of rising costs and harm unless we cut climate pollution faster.
If Australia and the rest of the world keep burning coal, oil and gas at the same rate, our government expects that at 3℃ of global heating:
- Sydney would face a 444% increase in heat-related deaths and Darwin a 423% increase.
- Sea-levels would rise by one-metre, leading to 18-times more coastal flooding.
- More than three million Australians in coastal communities would face a high or very high risk of flooding, erosion, and inundation by 2090.
- Dangerously hot weather would force farmers, miners and construction workers to down tools for 700,000 additional days every year by 2061.
- Losses in Australian property values could increase to $770 billion by 2090 (without people moving from high risk areas)
- Spending on disaster recovery could increase by up to 600% by 2090.
With global temperatures already 1.3°C above pre-industrial levels and current policies tracking toward 2.7°C warming, these dire projections represent Australia's likely future without immediate course correction.
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said: "These are the government's own numbers and they're terrifying. It's the kind of bed-time reading that should keep Ministers up at night. But doing too little is an active choice, and we can choose a better future by cutting climate pollution harder and faster now."
"The Albanese Government can reduce climate risk by cutting climate pollution at its source: coal, oil and gas. The first step is legislating the strongest possible 2035 climate target and stopping new polluting projects.
"Scientific analysis shows that even a 75% cut by 2035 would align with global heating of over 2°C. That would be very painful for many Australians, doubling of heatwaves days, fourteen times more coastal flooding and catastrophic impacts for our farmers, fisheries and reefs.
"The longer we delay the deep and sustained cuts to climate pollution we need, the harder it becomes to protect communities from escalating heatwaves, floods and bushfire weather. That's why we must do everything we can, as fast as we can now this decade, to protect people and the places we love."
"Australia cannot afford a timid 2035 target when our own government data shows the catastrophic costs of inaction."
Climate Councillor and public health physician Dr Kate Charlesworth said:
"This new national report warns of dire health impacts in a hotter Australia including increased heat-related deaths, illnesses such as dengue fever spread by mosquitoes, hospitals being overwhelmed by disasters, and road and rail disruption during extreme weather events, which could double the transport cost of medicines by 2090.
"The most disadvantaged communities are being hit first and hardest but these risks will impact all of us.
"As a doctor, I know that treating just the symptoms of a disease won't cure a patient. You have to attack the cause: climate pollution from burning coal, oil and gas. Yet this report is silent on what's driving climate change with only two mentions of greenhouse gas emissions.
"Like tobacco, every bit of pollution is doing us damage. We've started to wean our economy off coal, oil and gas with cleaner energy but we need to be behaving like our lives depend on it – because they do."
