A research report released today by FoE shows that the financial cost to governments and the community in Victoria from natural disasters was almost $20 billion dollars over a ten year period from 2003 to 2013. A research report released today by FoE shows that the financial cost to governments and the community in Victoria from natural disasters was $19.937 billion dollars over a ten year period from 2003 to 2013.
The report Natural Disasters and a Warming Climate; Understanding the Cumulative Financial Impacts on Victoria is a compilation of disaster loss statistics from weather related Victorian disaster events – fires, floods, storms and heatwaves. The figures of $6,762.87 million in public costs and $13,174.2 million in insured costs are based on estimates of loss cost rather than true damage from these events.
Climate change science clearly tells us that, without concerted global action to reduce emissions, Victoria will face hotter summers and extended heatwaves, more erratic rainfall patterns, and longer bushfire seasons. Yet our government has turned its back on taking action to reduce our contribution to climate change.
Unless our government stops hiding from climate science, and joins the global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it will be condemning Victorians to an ever greater cost burden from extreme weather events.
FURTHER INFORMATION and TAKING ACTION
Please check our facebook page for an infographic you can share about this report.
You can find our media release here.
There is an opinion piece on the report from ABC Environment available here.
Please sign our petition to the Premier and Leader of the Opposition, calling on them to take action on climate change.