Australia Warned of Billions in Losses and Rising Risks in Climate Report
CANBERRA – Australia’s long-awaited national climate risk assessment has delivered a stark warning, concluding that rising temperatures will trigger “cascading, compounding, concurrent” impacts across the nation of 27 million people.
“We are living in climate change now. It’s no longer a forecast, a projection or prediction — it is a live reality, and it’s too late to avoid any impacts,” Climate Minister Chris Bowen said Monday.
The independently prepared report estimates that by 2050, about 1.5 million Australians living along the coast will face threats from sea level rise. That figure could double to three million people by 2090.
Property losses are expected to climb sharply, with values projected to drop by Aus$611 billion (US$406 billion) by mid-century and potentially reaching Aus$770 billion (US$512 billion) by 2090.
The report also warned of severe health risks. In Sydney, a 3C temperature rise could push heat-related deaths up by more than 400 percent.
Australia, one of the world’s top fossil fuel exporters, has long faced criticism for viewing climate action as a political and economic hurdle. But the center-left Labor government has moved to accelerate emissions cuts and expand renewable energy in recent years.
The findings arrive just as Australia prepares to unveil its next emissions reduction targets, part of its commitments under the Paris climate accord. Many are hoping for more ambitious pledges from the sun-soaked nation.
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