A new report from Climate Council and Climate Valuation has revealed the extent of properties at high risk from hazards made worse by climate pollution.
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steve Huntley
New data has revealed properties in the Nicholls electorate are among the most vulnerable in Australia to climate change-related disasters.
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Findings from Climate Valuation found one-quarter of properties in the electorate are considered at high risk from hazards made more dangerous by climate pollution.
In Echuca, 512 properties are deemed to be at high risk of all hazards, which includes flooding, bushfires and extreme wind.
A further 1630 are at medium risk of all hazards in Echuca, while over half of all properties in Echuca Village are considered at risk.
Over 460 properties in Moama are at high risk of all hazards, and another 1374 are currently at medium risk.
Riverine flooding, surface flooding and extreme winds are the most likely events to effect over 26,000 high-risk properties in Nicholls, making it the second-most at-risk electorate in the country.
Nicholls has the second-highest number of high-risk properties in the country. Source: Climate Valuation/Climate Council.
Climate Council and Climate Valuation issued a report and an interactive online map, which allows Australians to see climate risks in their local area, based on the data.
The report found one in 23 homes and businesses across the country are already at high risk from hazards worsened by climate pollution.
Another 1.55 million properties nationally are at moderate risk, driving up insurance costs for one in 10 people.
Climate Council economics specialist Nicki Hutley said the climate crisis was literally at the doorstep of Australian households.
“We keep getting hit by disasters in Australia and that’s driving insurance bills through the roof, but we cannot insure our way out of this crisis,” she said.
“At every election, and this one in particular, we need our political leaders to commit to deep, immediate cuts to pollution from coal, oil and gas.”
Climate Valuation founder Karl Mallon said the data drew on 15 million commercial and residential properties, and showed climate change was not a far-off, future event.
“Most alarmingly, our analysis has identified 86 critical climate risk zones requiring urgent and major government interventions, such as flood levies, buybacks or other measures,” he said.
Multiple critical climate risk zones have been identified in the north-east corner of the Nicholls electorate.
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