Climate Change - Potential Impacts and Costs
Australia – already the driest inhabited continent on Earth – is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The longer we wait to act on climate change, the more it will cost and the worse its effects will be.
Much work still needs to be done to analyse the regional impacts of climate change and to determine which areas might be most vulnerable.
The Australian Government is investing in this effort, through for example, a $44 million commitment to support the CSIRO Adaptation Flagship and $50 million to support research led by the Adaptation Research Facility.
While we need to continue to build our understanding of climate change, we already have some indication of the potential impacts and costs to our industries, environment, people and infrastructure.
Fact sheets
These fact sheets provide an overview of the potential impacts and costs for Australia and each state and territory.
- National Fact Sheet
- Australian Capital Territory
- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
The best way to minimise those costs is through our comprehensive Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. This is at the heart of the Government's comprehensive plan to tackle climate change through reducing emissions; helping regions, industries and communities adapt to climate change that we cannot avoid; and helping to shape a global solution.
