Australia’s Victoria State warns of rising climate risk to infrastructure

Melbourne, May 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) More than 57 billion Australian dollars (about $40.84 billion) worth of infrastructure in the Australian state of Victoria is at risk from climate-related extreme weather, said a report released Tuesday.

The amount of infrastructure at risk is projected to rise by nearly 25 per cent over the next four decades, said the report by Infrastructure Victoria, the Australian state's independent infrastructure adviser.

The report examined 318 billion Australian dollars' worth of assets across Victoria and identified bushfires, floods and extreme heat as the greatest risks.

It estimates that more than 23 billion Australian dollars in infrastructure is currently exposed to bushfire risk, rising to over 30 billion Australian dollars by 2070, while flood risk already affects assets worth over 22 billion Australian dollars, Xinhua news agency reported.

Infrastructure exposed to extreme heat is projected to more than double between 2030 and 2070, the report showed.

Road and rail networks are expected to bear the highest damage costs, particularly in the state capital Melbourne and key regional corridors, it said, adding that energy infrastructure and health assets are also at risk from floods, bushfires and extreme heat.

Extreme weather cost Victoria an average of 2.7 billion Australian dollars a year in the decade to 2016, with the 2022 floods alone triggering 3.5 billion Australian dollars in government spending on relief and recovery, the report said.

Victoria has already experienced rising climate impacts, with average temperatures increasing by 1.2 degrees Celsius since 1910, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Infrastructure Victoria said targeted adaptation measures, such as improved drainage maintenance and climate-resilient road materials, could significantly reduce future damage, noting that every dollar invested in resilience can yield multiple economic benefits.

Australia spans multiple climate zones, with the northern third featuring a tropical climate (wet and dry seasons) and the southern two-thirds experiencing temperate conditions. About 70 per cent of the continent is arid or semi-arid desert. The seasons are the reverse of the Northern Hemisphere: summer runs from December to February, and winter from June to August.

Source: IANS