Climate change threat to Australian security, economy, infrastructure: gov't report

Rising global temperatures pose a significant threat to healthcare, security, infrastructure and finance, an Australian government report has warned.

The federal government released its first National Climate Risk Assessment on Tuesday, spotlighting 56 nationally significant climate risks facing Australia including 11 priority risk areas ranging from water resources to economic resilience.

The assessment forecasts that climate change could jeopardize Australia's economy, trade, and financial systems, strain the resources of defense forces and emergency services and that hospitals and health professionals will be confronted by new communicable diseases.

Under a plausible worst-case scenario, the report warns that insurers and banks could cease offering services to communities at the risk to extreme weather events, triggering a cascading effect on infrastructure and the built environment.

Releasing the report, Assistant Climate Change and Energy Minister Jenny McAllister said the government would conduct a more detailed analysis of the 11 priority risks that will be unveiled by the end of 2024.

The 11 priority areas identified by the report were water security, the natural environment, primary industries and food, health and social support, regional and remote communities, defense and national security, infrastructure, supply chains, communities and settlement, governance, and economy, trade and finance.

"Australians know that the climate has changed. They feel it on hotter days and experience it in extreme weather events which occur more frequently. This work will help us better prepare for the small and big challenges that climate change brings," McAllister said in a statement.

"We will continue to do everything we can to reduce our emissions and limit the impact of climate change. However we must also take steps to protect Australia's economy, society and natural environment from the changes scientists tell are already locked in."

In June 2023, the government declared a combined 400 million Australian dollars ($264.2 million) in funding for 187 projects aimed at enhancing Australia's preparedness for future natural disasters.