Climate Change is Making Australia’s Homes Uninsurable

Climate Change is Making Australia’s Homes Uninsurable

In Australia, the cost of living is already skyrocketing and now, unprecedented wildfires and flood events due to climate change have made homes harder to insure. According to a Climate Council report, 1 in 25 homes will be uninsurable by 2030. In recent months, the state of Queensland has been ravaged by floods with almost 200,000 homes “projected to be uninsurable,” BBC reports.

"Climate change is playing out in real-time here and many Australians now find it impossible to insure their homes and businesses," says Amanda McKenzie, chief executive of the Climate Council.

BBC, May 13, 2022.

ABC News (Australia): Climate change has made old measures predicting weather events in Australia 'worthless,' May 18, 2022.

Why This Matters

While climate change is making Australia more unlivable, its government has done little to address the consequences of global warming and climate-induced disasters. Australia has one of the weakest targets for emissions reductions in the world, yet faces constant threats from rising sea levels, uncontrollable wildfires, and massive floods. Its government has continually dismissed repeated efforts to address climate change by its citizens and refused to acknowledge the impacts of Australian fossil fuel exports. Meanwhile, the nation’s climate agenda is a pivotal topic as voters cast their ballots in Australia’s upcoming federal election this Saturday.

CNN: Australia is on the frontline for climate change, yet it does little to fight it. Here's why, May 22, 2022.

ABC: ‘Australia is ground zero for climate change’ | ‘Burning’ documentary director, December 16, 2021.

A Climate At Odds With Coal

Australia is the world’s largest exporter of metallurgical coal, used to make steel, and the second-largest producer of coal for power generation, supplying much of Asia. The coal industry supports about 150,000 Australian jobs and contributes around $60 billion to the economy, while also contributing heavily to global warming and the climate disasters that have wreaked havoc on the country year after year.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) just released a report confirming that the past seven years have been the warmest on record and greenhouse gas concentrations have hit a new high, which will drastically increase the severity and frequency of climate change disasters. If Australia’s government continues to ignore the impacts of coal-fired plants and drag its feet on the transition to renewable energy, it will have to reckon with an “insurability crisis” and its country becoming increasingly uninhabitable.

Guardian Australia: 'We will keep mining', says Australian prime minister Scott Morrison about the future of coal, September 9, 2021.

ABC (Australia): Climate Emergency | Australia on the frontline of climate change | Part One, April 19, 2021.

ABC (Australia): Climate Emergency | How disasters could become serious national security challenges | Part Two, April 20, 2021.