Rising Seas Could Threaten 1.5 Million Australians by 2050

Rising oceans and flooding linked to climate change could put 1.5 million Australians at risk by 2050, a landmark report warned Monday, ahead of the country’s release of new emission reduction targets this week.

The national climate risk assessment found that rising temperatures will have “cascading, compounding, concurrent” effects on life across Australia, home to over 27 million people.

“We are living climate change now. It is no longer a forecast or projection — it is a live reality, and it is too late to avoid any impacts,” Climate Minister Chris Bowen said.

The report, prepared independently for the government, shows that 1.5 million people in coastal areas will face threats from sea level rise by 2050, with numbers rising to around three million by 2090.

Property losses are projected to reach Aus$611 billion (US$406 billion) by 2050 and could climb to Aus$770 billion by 2090.

If temperatures rise by 3°C, heat-related deaths in Sydney, the country’s largest city, could surge by more than 400 percent.

Australia, one of the world’s largest fossil fuel exporters, has faced criticism for treating climate action as a political and economic challenge. The centre-left Labor government has recently intensified efforts to reduce emissions and expand renewable energy.

The report arrives just ahead of Australia’s next round of emissions reduction targets, a key commitment under the Paris climate agreement, with many hoping for more ambitious action.