CANBERRA, Australia. Australia will experience increasingly frequent and simultaneous extreme climate events that will put heavy pressure on health services, emergency response, infrastructure, and key industries, according to a government climate report released Monday.
The National Climate Risk Assessment, the country’s first comprehensive study on climate threats, stated that no community will be exempt from risks that are “cascading, compounding, and concurrent.” The report also warned that natural ecosystems and biodiversity face major challenges.
“While we can no longer avoid climate impacts, every action we take today towards our goal of net zero by 2050 will help avoid the worst impacts on Australian communities and businesses,” Energy Minister Chris Bowen said in a statement.
Bowen noted that northern Australia, remote areas, and the outer suburbs of major cities are particularly vulnerable. “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,” he said.
Alongside the report, the government released a National Adaptation Plan, which Bowen said would provide a framework for federal, state, and local governments to coordinate climate action. He added that the government would soon announce its next step in lowering carbon emissions, including “an ambitious and achievable 2035 target.”
Since taking office in 2022, the centre-left Labor government has committed A$3.6 billion ($2.39 billion) to climate adaptation programs, aiming to cut emissions by 43% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050. Clean energy advocates had previously criticized Australia’s former conservative government as a global laggard on climate policy.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
