Climate Commission report: ‘The Critical Decade: Extreme Weather’

When extreme weather events occur the Climate Commission is consistently asked questions about the link to climate change. The new report The Critical Decade: Extreme Weather unpacks current knowledge about different types of extreme weather events: extreme temperatures, rainfall, drought, bushfires, storm surges, cyclones and storms. Key facts from the report are:

• Climate change is already increasing the intensity and frequency of many extreme weather events, adversely affecting Australians.
• Climate change is making many extreme events worse in terms of their impacts on people, property, communities and the environment.
• The climate system has shifted, and is continuing to shift, changing the conditions for all weather, including extreme weather events.
• There is a high risk that extreme weather events like heatwaves, heavy rainfall, bushfires and cyclones will become even more intense in Australia over the coming decades.
• Only strong preventive action now and in the coming years can stabilise the climate and halt the trend of increasing extreme weather for our children and grandchildren.