Climate change risk to Australia's built environment. A second pass national assessment

Australia as a country has built a solid reputation for being forward thinking and pragmatic. Significant shifts in extreme weather events are already underway and have caused unprecedented natural disasters. The severity and frequency of these events will only increase in the future. To be ready, these risks must be faced head on. Indeed, given the scale of changes underway policy makers are not moving nearly fast enough to prevent significant disruption to our economy and society.

Climate Change Risks to Australia’s Coast – A First Pass National Risk Assessment was released by the Australian Government Oce of Climate Change and Energy Eciency in 2009. The national risk assessment focussed on the risks to settlements and infrastructure, natural ecosystems, and industries in the coastal zone. That report found that between AUD $41-63 billion dollars worth of properties were at risk from coastal impacts.

In the ten years since that report, there have been improvements in the sophistication and detail of climate models as well as substantial increases in computing power. While XDI provides analysis to the public and private sector, the company is keen to ensure that stakeholders - communities, governments and business - are informed of the risks they face and are therefore equipped to plan for the current and future impacts of climate change. This XDI Second Pass Assessment considers a greater number of hazards, covers all municipal areas in Australia and seeks to provide a firm basis for continued awareness and policy development to secure Australia’s resilience.

If governments and communities act on this information now, many of the projected losses can be averted. Acting in an orderly way with a strategic focus on those communities most at risk will ensure that adaptation is achieved at least cost. The analysis underpinning this report can be used to identify where action is necessary, what activities need to be undertaken and when.