Latest news with #NationalClimateRiskAssessment
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Insurance claims for wild weather damage this year already exceed 2024 total
Insurance claims for wild weather in the first five months of this year have already surpassed 2024 for at least one major insurer, as the community tallies the cost of Cyclone Alfred and the NSW floods. NRMA Insurance said it had received 32,000 claims for wild weather-related damage to both vehicles and property between January and May this year, including cyclones, devastating floods, damaging winds and storms. While unusually high, it did not surpass the 53,716 claims in the first five months of 2022 for damage from widespread floods and an east coast low. Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean said Australia needed to reduce emissions to limit further climate warming, while also mounting a strong national adaptation effort to protect the nation against the risks that were already here. 'It's no surprise the damage bill is mounting,' Kean said. 'This underscores the need for practical action like updating building codes and extending cyclone construction standards further down the coast.' Loading The Albanese government has invested $27.4 million in Australia's first-ever National Climate Risk Assessment and a related National Adaptation Plan, but it is yet to be released. The Climate Change Authority will on Thursday publish a report examining the perils of climate change for home owners, including the implications of ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred and expectations of more southerly cyclones. CSIRO research suggests every $1 invested in climate resilience saves up to $11 in recovery costs. Alfred was the first cyclone to threaten South East Queensland and northern NSW in 50 years. Peter Chan, a meteorologist and executive manager with NRMA's natural perils team, said back in 1974 when Cyclone Zoe and Cyclone Wanda hit, there were 2 million people living in South East Queensland and now there were 4 million. By 2046, the population of the region is expected to grow to 6 million. NRMA Insurance covers every state and territory except Victoria, where IAG insurance is sold by RACV. Chan said Queensland experienced its worst season for wild weather claims back to at least 2017 – and that it took just 66 days for the state to surpass its total claims due to weather damage in 2024.
The Age
3 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Insurance claims for wild weather damage this year already exceed 2024 total
Insurance claims for wild weather in the first five months of this year have already surpassed 2024 for at least one major insurer, as the community tallies the cost of Cyclone Alfred and the NSW floods. NRMA Insurance said it had received 32,000 claims for wild weather-related damage to both vehicles and property between January and May this year, including cyclones, devastating floods, damaging winds and storms. While unusually high, it did not surpass the 53,716 claims in the first five months of 2022 for damage from widespread floods and an east coast low. Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean said Australia needed to reduce emissions to limit further climate warming, while also mounting a strong national adaptation effort to protect the nation against the risks that were already here. 'It's no surprise the damage bill is mounting,' Kean said. 'This underscores the need for practical action like updating building codes and extending cyclone construction standards further down the coast.' Loading The Albanese government has invested $27.4 million in Australia's first-ever National Climate Risk Assessment and a related National Adaptation Plan, but it is yet to be released. The Climate Change Authority will on Thursday publish a report examining the perils of climate change for home owners, including the implications of ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred and expectations of more southerly cyclones. CSIRO research suggests every $1 invested in climate resilience saves up to $11 in recovery costs. Alfred was the first cyclone to threaten South East Queensland and northern NSW in 50 years. Peter Chan, a meteorologist and executive manager with NRMA's natural perils team, said back in 1974 when Cyclone Zoe and Cyclone Wanda hit, there were 2 million people living in South East Queensland and now there were 4 million. By 2046, the population of the region is expected to grow to 6 million. NRMA Insurance covers every state and territory except Victoria, where IAG insurance is sold by RACV. Chan said Queensland experienced its worst season for wild weather claims back to at least 2017 – and that it took just 66 days for the state to surpass its total claims due to weather damage in 2024.
Agriland
04-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Report: Risk to crop yields as Ireland projected to get warmer and wetter
A new report that reveals 'where, when and how' climates risks could likely impact on Ireland warns that it will get warmer and wetter, which in turn could reduce crop yields. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) today (Wednesday, June 4) published Ireland's first National Climate Change Risk Assessment report, which identifies 115 risks from projected changes in climate conditions. These risks are likely to impact on energy, transport, communications, water security, public health, food production and supply, and ecosystems. According to the EPA, it identified a total of 43 significant risks for Ireland. Source: EPA (June 2025) Laura Burke, EPA director general said today:'We know that Ireland is being impacted by climate change already. 'This comprehensive assessment highlights the need for additional urgent action to ensure Ireland is sustainably resilient to the risks that we currently face, and will increasingly experience, in the coming decades. 'Recent events, such as Storms Darragh and Éowyn, demonstrated how damage to critical infrastructure such as energy, water supply, transport and communications networks in turn give rise to impacts on human health, biodiversity, and the financial system.' In the report, the EPA also stipulates that some 'significant risks' require urgent action within the next five years. These are: The risk of disruption and damage to communications and energy distribution infrastructure due to extreme wind; The risk of disruption and damage to buildings and transport infrastructure due to extreme wind, coastal erosion, and coastal flooding. Climate risk assessment report The report also details that by the end of this century 'extreme heat' is identified as a priority risk. According to the EPA, Ireland's climate is projected to get warmer with average temperatures increasing across all seasons and on an annual basis, while the number of heatwaves is also forecast to increase. The National Climate Risk Assessment report also identifies potential 'opportunities' as a result of climate change for certain economic sectors, including a longer season for outdoor activities which could boost tourism-related businesses. According to the EPA, there could also be a longer growing season and 'improved livestock nutrition and grazing because of higher average temperatures'.
Extra.ie
04-06-2025
- Business
- Extra.ie
Urgent extreme weather warning for Ireland
Extreme wind, flooding and heat have been flagged in the first comprehensive assessment of where, when and how climate risks are likely to impact Ireland over the coming decades. The State's environmental watchdog, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has today warned of 115 risks associated with a projected increase in the severity and frequency of extreme weather events through 2030, 2050, and 2100. It said these would affect the country's energy, transport, communications, water security, public health, food production and supply, and ecosystems. Extreme wind, flooding and heat have been flagged in the first comprehensive assessment of where, when and how climate risks are likely to impact Ireland over the coming decades. Pic: Shutterstock In a new report, the EPA said urgent action was particularly badly needed over the next five years to prevent disruption and damage to communications and energy distribution infrastructure, due to extreme wind. It said similarly rapid action was needed to avoid disruption and damage to buildings and transport infrastructure due to extreme wind, coastal erosion and coastal flooding. Also requiring swift attention were risks to the built environment and human health from flooding and heat, the EPA said. Also requiring swift attention were risks to the built environment and human health from flooding and heat, the EPA said. Pic: Noel Sweeney/PA Wire/PA Images Laura Burke, EPA director general, said: 'We know that Ireland is being impacted by climate change already. 'Recent events, such as Storms Darragh and Éowyn, demonstrated how damage to critical infrastructure, such as energy, water supply, transport and communications networks, in turn gives rise to impacts on human health, biodiversity and the financial system.' EPA director Dr Eimear Cotter said: 'The National Climate Risk Assessment underscores the need for immediate action in the next five years to enhance the resilience of Ireland's critical infrastructure to climate change. Over the last century, Ireland's climate has become warmer, with changes in precipitation patterns and rising sea levels. Pic: 'The risks with the most consequential and highest urgency ratings relate to extreme wind, coastal erosion and coastal flooding.' The report states: 'Ireland's climate is changing in line with global trends. These changes are unprecedented, and it is now established fact that human activities are resulting in the warming of our climate system. 'Over the last century, Ireland's climate has become warmer, with patterns of precipitation changing and rising sea levels. These changes in our average climate conditions are also being reflected in changes in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. 'Changes to Ireland's climate will continue and intensify, with far-reaching consequences for its environment, economy, and society.' The EPA warned climate change would drive up insurance costs, reduce tax payments to the State and cause businesses to struggle. Increases in rainfall and flooding would pose significant risks to citizens' physical and mental health. Flooding can cause injuries, fatalities, PTSD, depression and anxiety. Extreme heat also poses health risks, particularly to vulnerable groups such as older adults, children, and people with chronic illnesses. It can cause heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and dehydration, while warmer temperatures extend the spread of diseases. Wildlife will also be affected, with an increasing risk of forest fires, deteriorating quality of freshwater due to flooding and droughts, a degradation in habitats and a risk of invasive species. The EPA also cited a risk of reduced crop yields. It warned of 'cascading' impacts, such as a loss of electricity affecting water supply, transport, food production, healthcare and water security. Predictions in the report, obtained from Met Éireann and other agencies, pointed to a national mean temperature rise of 1.5°C by the 2050s, with the mid-east experiencing the largest increase of up to 2C. It said the upsides of climate change include the possibility of increased tourism, as well as increased hydro-power generation, more shellfish and a greater diversity of marine species.
The Age
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
What message does the Woodside approval send?
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@ Please include your home address and telephone number. No attachments, please include your letter in the body of the email. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. If you want to lose weight, you don't eat a salad and then tuck into burgers and chips on the side. It doesn't work. Likewise, if we want to cut climate pollution, we can't just add a bit of solar and wind while continuing to flood the atmosphere with greenhouse gases. That's why Environment Minister Murray Watt's preliminary approval of Woodside's North West Shelf gas terminal – allowing it to operate until 2070 – is so wrong (″ Major fossil fuel project tick ends years of uncertainty ″, 29/5). This gas terminal will contribute 4.4 billion tonnes of emissions (10 times Australia's annual total), undermining all our other efforts to tackle climate change. What message does this send to our Pacific neighbours battling rising seas, to regional Australians hit by extreme weather, to Indigenous communities whose cultural heritage is at risk, and to our young people? Amy Hiller, Kew Economic interests are taking precedence With the announcement that Environment Minister Murray Watt has approved the extension and expansion of the Woodside North West Shelf gas project, every young Australian should now understand that we have a government that puts the economic interests of the fossil fuel industry ahead of their future. The fast emerging climate crisis will present young people with a very challenging future. Surely they have a right to expect our political leaders to be taking every possible step not to make the situation worse. Catherine Rossiter, Fadden, ACT Australian fossil fuels have global impact I am a climate scientist. I have a fear for the future of our country and our planet given the published research and Australia's first National Climate Risk Assessment. It does not matter where Australian fossil fuels are burned – here or overseas – their impacts are global, and will hit Australia hard through more climate and weather extremes. This is overwhelmingly the state of the science. Commonwealth approval for gas or coal projects will generate company profit now that will ultimately cost Australia's next generations – our children – massively in dollars, lives and livelihoods. It is clearly now untenable. Andrew Watkins, Research Affiliate, School of Earth, Atmosphere & Environment, Monash University What's the point, when this happens? Labor has used its mandate to approve a gas project that will result in more emissions that will fuel fires, cause more floods and wreak havoc for future generations. When our society has leaders that value corporations over the health of communities, people gradually stop caring, and they won't keep fighting for climate justice. Labor might want us to recycle, compost our waste, walk instead of drive. But what's the point when our leaders are doing the opposite and wrecking the environment? I had a sliver of hope that Labor might have the courage to tackle climate change, sadly it's still not the greatest moral challenge of our lifetime. Shameful. Ben Shaw, Ocean Grove Who is going to pay for the consequences? Federal Labor must be condemned for giving provisional approval to extend the North West Shelf gas project for another 70 years. Farmers and communities are suffering the ruinous impacts of fossil fuel pollution. If the project goes ahead, will Woodside pay the rebuilding costs and insurance premiums of those affected by droughts, storms, floods and fires; for ongoing trauma services for survivors; for more equipment for emergency services; lost income for CFA and SES volunteers; endangered species programs? Will the government look at both sides of the ledger when weighing up the costs and short-term benefits of this project? Julia Croatto, Kew THE FORUM Ineluctably unelectable A notable mantra of Gough Whitlam was that his party had to become electable, and be worth electing. The present version of the Labor Party has certainly shown over the past two federal elections that it is indeed electable. The jury, however, may still be out on whether it has been worth electing. Its actions on several issues will deliver that judgment in time. Electionwise, the Coalition has achieved the opposite. It has become virtually unelectable, its position worsening from 2022 to 2025. Its present policies and conflicts show it is out of touch with modern Australia and not worth electing at all. Graeme Gardner, Reservoir PM's Uluru mission Cathy Wilcox's incisive cartoon (29/5) rightly reminds us of the big lie that was inherent in the Coalition's rejection of a Voice to parliament. The wilful mischaracterising of the latter as equivalent to a ″third chamber of parliament″ ensured that substantive government-initiated reconciliation was brutally undermined. The conservative right-wing line that Indigenous Australians were seeking to divide the nation, and gain social and political preferment, was surreal in the context of Closing the Gap targets not being met and the cross-generational existential impacts of the documented more than 400 Indigenous massacres from 1788 to the 1930s. White Australians' ″cult of forgetfulness″ and the ″great Australian silence″, as articulated by the eminent anthropologist Professor Bill Stanner in 1968, is a continuing phenomenon. In 2025, ignorance and racist colonialist sentiments persist. Crucially, the Voice to parliament and Makarrata Commission ″truth telling″ process remain as relevant as ever. It is to be hoped that the PM, endorsed powerfully in the recent election, revisits the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Jon McMillan, Mt Eliza
