Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 15, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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Australia faces rising climate risks with more extreme events as it prepares to announce a new emissions target, aiming for a 43% cut by 2030.
By Peter Hobson and Renju Jose
CANBERRA (Reuters) - 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 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.
(Reporting by Peter Hobson in Canberra and Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Jamie Freed)
Australia will face more frequent and extreme climate events, which will strain industry, services, and infrastructure. Heatwaves will become more deadly, and rising sea levels will threaten millions.
Australia aims to cut carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. An ambitious emissions reduction target will be announced soon.
Health and emergency services will face increased pressure due to climate impacts. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events will lead to higher costs and challenges in service delivery.
The national adaptation plan released by the government is designed to guide Australia's response to the climate risks identified in the report. It aims to help communities adapt to the changing climate.
A 3-degree rise could lead to a significant increase in extreme heatwave days and a 444% rise in heatwave-related deaths in Sydney. It would also raise sea levels, impacting fresh water supplies and coastal communities.
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