CANBERRA,March 13 (Xinhua/APP):Rising global temperatures pose a significant threat to healthcare, security, infrastructure and finance, an Australian government report has warned.
The federal government on Tuesday published its first National Climate Risk Assessment, identifying 56 nationally significant climate risks facing Australia including 11 priority risk areas ranging from water resources to economic resilience.
It predicts that climate change could undermine Australia’s economy, trade, and financial systems, stretch the resources of defense forces and emergency services and that hospitals and health professionals will be confronted by new communicable diseases.
Under a plausible worst-case scenario, the report said, insurers and banks could withdraw services from communities vulnerable to extreme weather events, causing a cascading effect on infrastructure and the built environment.
Releasing the report, Assistant Climate Change and Energy Minister Jenny McAllister said the government would undertake a more detailed analysis of the 11 priority risks that will be released by the end of 2024.
