Climate Council says no national adaptation plan has followed last year's
Australia remains dangerously exposed to climate risk a year after the National Climate Risk Assessment, the Climate Council said on 15 September 2026. It says the country still has no national adaptation plan to protect people from worsening heat, floods, fires and storms.
Under the assessment’s high-pollution scenario, heatwave deaths could quadruple by 2050.
On 15 September 2026, the group also pointed to record global pollution levels. Meanwhile, record land and sea temperatures and a record-strength El Niño were pushing Australia towards hotter, drier and more dangerous conditions.
Adjunct Professor Andrew Watkins, a Climate Councillor and lead author of the National Climate Risk Assessment, said: “The risks to Australians are alarming and crystal clear: More climate-fuelled disasters, more often. With a record-breaking El Niño this year adding even more heat to our overheated climate, we could be in for a spring of extremes yet again.”
Coal and gas approvals draw criticism
Despite significant progress on renewables, the Climate Council says the Albanese Government continues to approve new coal, oil and gas projects. According to the group, those projects add to the climate pollution that is fuelling extreme weather risks.
It also says the country’s biggest polluters are using loopholes in national industrial law to keep polluting rather than make genuine cuts. In addition, the group criticised the federal Opposition’s plan to remove Australia’s legislated pollution reduction targets.
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said communities need a funded national plan to prepare for growing disaster risks. She said households already face higher insurance bills, council rates and supermarket costs as floods and fires worsen.
McKenzie said: “One year on from this comprehensive climate risk assessment, where is the response? We need a clear, well-funded and coordinated plan to better prepare and protect communities at growing risk of climate-fuelled disasters. Without this, Australia is flying blind.”
Watkins said climate change is already driving up insurance premiums and food prices, while also upending lives and putting people in direct danger. As a result, the Climate Council argues Australia needs both deeper pollution cuts and stronger preparation for hazards already locked in.
