Canberra: Australia’s climate council on Monday warned that the nation is facing a disastrous summer of extreme weather events.
In a report, the council and Emergency Leaders for Climate Action (ELCA) identified floods, cyclones and outbreaks of the mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus as major risks faced by Australians through the summer, reports Xinhua news agency.
The report said climate change has rendered Australia’s disaster planning not fit for purpose, calling for a boost in resilience funding and a national disaster strategy.
“There is nothing natural about these disasters, they are being unleashed on Australians by decades of reliance on fossil fuels,” Lesley Hughes, a leading climate scientist and author of the report, told local media.
“These same companies are enjoying billions in public subsidies. It’s high time we end fossil fuel subsidies and use the savings to create a climate disaster fund so we can help communities deal with the fallout of compounding and worsening disasters,” said Lesley.
Most of Australia has received higher than average rainfall in 2022 due to a La Nina event while the country is not expecting a severe bushfire season.
However, wet weather has created ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes and not allowed the east coast to recover from catastrophic flooding through winter and spring.
The report found that weather-related disasters cost Australia A$35 billion in the 2010s, more than the previous two decades combined.
Disasters have cost the state of Queensland more than A$30 billion since 1970, significantly more than any other state or territory.
–IANS