Climate change an Australian 'security threat'

SYDNEY (AFP)

A record-breaking heatwave killed 374 Australians in January, with another 173 perishing in the devastating February firestorm which flattened entire towns and razed more than 2,000 homes, ASPI said.

“As a result of climate change disasters are likely to become larger, more complex, occur simultaneously and in regions that have either not experienced the natural hazard previously or at the same intensity or frequency,” said report author Athol Yates.

Climate change could cause water shortages, increase disease and lead to widespread damage to property and critical infrastructure — much of which was already “ageing and stressed”, said Yates.

Flooding, coastal erosion and storm surges could batter the country’s heavily-populated east coast, while droughts and fire risk were likely to grow inland, he wrote.

“The latest detailed assessment of the impacts of climate change in Australia notes that the climate system is changing faster than earlier thought likely, with more costly and dangerous impacts,” said Yates.

AFP