

Sea level rise and soaring heat deaths: will climate action match the risks?
9 snips Sep 15, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Adam Morton, Climate and Environment Editor at The Guardian, dives into Australia's emerging climate challenges. He highlights the stark warnings from a national climate risk assessment about heat-related health crises and ecosystem threats. Morton emphasizes the need for immediate action as the government prepares to announce its 2035 emissions target. He also discusses economic consequences tied to climate change and the urgency for a robust adaptation strategy, urging a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
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Climate Harms Are Interconnected
- The report describes climate impacts as cascading, compounding and concurrent across Australia.
- Localised national analysis makes global IPCC warnings feel immediately urgent for communities and policy.
Heat Will Become The Leading Killer
- Heatwaves already cause more deaths and hospitalisations annually than all other extreme events combined in Australia.
- Mortality could rise ~200% at 2°C and ~450% at 3°C, making heat a principal public-health risk.
Nature's Collapse Threatens People Too
- Rising temperatures and changing rainfall will force species to move, adapt or die, exposing many to novel climates.
- Damage to nature undermines water, food and other human systems we all rely on.