Climatologists Predict Extreme Weather Will Hurt Australia’s Economy

According to a warning issued by government agencies on Wednesday, Australia will continue to see an increase in the frequency and severity of catastrophic weather like heat and rainfall extremes, as well as more dangerous fire events.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), which is Australia’s national science agency, and the Bureau of Meteorology said in a climate report that they had already found “an increase in extreme heat events, intense heavy rainfall, longer fire seasons, and sea level rise” recently. The report is part of Australia’s biennial climate report.

The agencies have issued a warning that the changes are happening more quickly and will put additional pressure on Australia to shift its economy away from relying on fossil fuels. According to a statement made by Michael Robertson, director of agriculture and food at CSIRO, “the threats caused by climate change, including extreme rainfall, droughts, heatwaves, and bushfires, are already having widespread impacts on Australia’s agricultural industry, affecting food production and supply chains.”

Beef, wine, sugar, cotton, and wool are just few of the agricultural products that Australia is one of the biggest exporters of throughout the world. In addition to this, it is well-known for the abundance of natural resources that it possesses, such as iron ore, coal, and gas.

Michael Battaglia, the lead of Towards Net Zero Mission, a division of CSIRO, said in the statement that “We are facing significant challenges to support and coordinate the shifts across infrastructure, regulation, skills, technology, finance, and investment that are needed for the transition to a low-emission economy.” “We are facing significant challenges to support and coordinate the shifts across infrastructure, regulation, skills, technology, finance, and investment that are needed for the transition to a low-emission economy.” Recent years have brought Australia face-to-face with the devastation that is being wrought by the climate catastrophe, from marine heat waves that have led to the bleaching of large numbers of corals on the Great Barrier Reef to extreme weather events such as flooding.

This year, the nation experienced a rare third consecutive La Nia weather pattern, which brought heavier and more frequent downpours, causing rivers to burst their banks and flooding communities near the coast and inland. This year was the third year in a row that the country has experienced a rare La Nia weather pattern.

After years of struggling with drought, farmers have lost crops due to excessive amounts of water, and forecasts warn that there may be additional losses in the future.

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At the most recent election, which took place in May, climate change was a primary concern, and the new Labor government that was elected made a commitment to increase the use of renewable energy. A short time after assuming office, the government of Australia upped its ambitions to decrease emissions by 43% by 2030 on levels from 2005. This is a more ambitious aim than its predecessor, but climate experts argue it is still not high enough.

The repercussions for the economy have been thoroughly documented. According to the Minderoo Foundation, “climate-induced extreme weather events like drought, fires, and floods have cost Australian communities an estimated 120 billion [Australian dollars] ($79.8 billion]” during the course of the past 50 years. These occurrences include drought, fires, and floods. The count was presented in a report that was distributed by the charitable organization in the month of January.

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