Australia will suffer more frequent and extreme climate events, often happening simultaneously, which will strain industry, services and infrastructure, a government report said on Monday, ahead of the announcement of a new emissions target.
Among the conclusions of the most comprehensive assessment of risks to Australia posed by climate change were that heatwaves will become more frequent and deadly, while rising sea levels will put millions at risk and plants and animals will have to move, adapt or die.
Northern parts of the country, remote communities and outer suburbs of major cities will be particularly susceptible, Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said in a statement.
"No Australian community will be immune from climate risks that will be cascading, compounding and concurrent," he said.
"Australians are already living with the consequences of climate change today, but it's clear every degree of warming we prevent now will help future generations avoid the worst impacts in years to come."
Australia aims to cut carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Bowen said the government would soon announce an "ambitious and achievable" emissions reduction target for 2035.
The previous right-of-centre government was considered by clean energy advocates a global laggard for its emissions policies. Renewable energy projects have faced backlash from communities and conservative politicians and media.
Monday's report said Australia was already 1.2 degrees Celsius warmer than historical levels. It said a 3-degree warming would raise the number of extreme heatwave days to 18 a year from four now and the duration of marine heatwaves to nearly 200 days from 18 now.
The number of deaths from heatwaves in Sydney could increase by 444% in that scenario, it said, while some forests and marine life may perish.
Three degrees of warming would raise sea levels by another 54 centimetres by 2090, allowing saltwater ingress to impact fresh water supply and putting more than 3 million people in coastal communities at high risk of flooding that could occur on more than 200 days each year, up from 15 days a year now.
Health and emergency services would face pressure, rebuilding costs would rise, property values would fall and hotter, drier weather would damage crop yields and stress livestock, the report said.
The government also on Monday released a national adaptation plan that Bowen said would guide Australia's response to the report's findings.
In a significant shift in its foreign policy, China has unveiled a new policy paper promising no-strings-attached development support to Latin America...
A Venezuelan-linked tanker recently seized by the United States is now expected to sail to a U.S. port, where its cargo of crude oil could be retained...
As the world marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the progress in combating climate change is mixed....
A new proposal in the U.S. Congress aims to remove decades-old restrictions on American assistance to Azerbaijan, reopening a sensitive debate that ha...
An extratropical cyclone has caused widespread disruption across Brazil’s São Paulo state, with powerful winds toppling trees and power lines, bloc...
A Venezuelan-linked tanker recently seized by the United States is now expected to sail to a U.S. port, where its cargo of crude oil could be retained, officials said.
Iran is preparing to host a multilateral regional meeting next week in a bid to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
An extratropical cyclone has caused widespread disruption across Brazil’s São Paulo state, with powerful winds toppling trees and power lines, blocking streets and leaving large parts of the region without electricity.
Ukraine has handed the United States a revised 20-point peace proposal aimed at ending the war with Russia, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday, 11 December.
Scores of demonstrators gathered outside the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo Tuesday (9 December) to protest against the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
The world’s leading minds and voices will be honoured on Wednesday, 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, as Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm and Oslo.
In a dramatic Champions League clash at Baku’s Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Qarabağ grabbed an early lead, but Ajax staged a thrilling comeback to win 4-2.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Azerbaijan and Armenia on their recent peace deal which he said opened an "historic opportunity" for the region.
At least 19 people were killed and 16 injured as two buildings collapased in Morocco's Fes city according to the state news agency.
As the world marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the progress in combating climate change is mixed.
An extratropical cyclone has caused widespread disruption across Brazil’s São Paulo state, with powerful winds toppling trees and power lines, blocking streets and leaving large parts of the region without electricity.
Indonesia's military stepped up its relief efforts in three provinces on Sumatra island that have been devastated by deadly floods and landslides, and the country's vice president apologised for shortcomings in the response to last week's disaster.
Authorities in Senegal have launched urgent measures to prevent a potential oil spill after water entered the engine room of the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Mersin off the coast of Dakar, the port authority said on Sunday.
The death toll from devastating floods across Southeast Asia climbed to at least 183 people on Friday (28 November). Authorities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka struggle to rescue stranded residents, restore power and communications, and deliver aid to cut-off communities.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment