Overview

• Modelling sets out impacts under 1.5°C, 2°C and 3°C scenarios, with the Climate Change Authority warning current pledges point toward roughly 2.9°C of warming.
• By 2050, about 1.5 million people face coastal inundation risk, annual disaster recovery costs could exceed A$40 billion, and property value losses are estimated at A$611 billion.
• Heat-related deaths could surge under higher warming, including a 444% increase in Sydney and 423% in Darwin in a 3°C scenario.
• The assessment describes cascading, compounding and concurrent hazards that threaten health systems, critical infrastructure, primary industries and ecosystems, stating no community is immune.
• Exposure is uneven across the country, with Queensland home to 18 of the 20 most-exposed regions and northern Australia, remote communities and outer suburbs identified as especially vulnerable.