A research report just released by the environmental group Friends of the Earth (FoE) shows that natural disasters cost the Victorian state government and the community $20 billion over the past 10 years.
The FoE report reveals the financial cost 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.
FoE says 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.
FoE says 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.
It also says, “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.
“It is clear that there are already considerable economic impacts of climate change that are being felt across the state. These costs are directly competing with other demands, such as education and health budgets,” said Friends of the Earth campaigns co-ordinator Cam Walker.
“What this report seeks to highlight is the fact that the government is ‘flying blind’ when it comes to tracking the economic and social costs of natural disasters on our state.”
Mr Walker said there was no single tally of the costs of extreme weather events, and so it was up to the media to report each event as they occur.
“A forward thinking state government would compile the full costs, making them public on an annual basis, and task the premier’s office with co-ordinating the state-wide response to tackling climate change and advancing the state’s climate adaptation plans,” he said.
“They do not include the personal costs to police, firefighters, SES and other emergency workers who face danger and human loss, and must contend with the emotional impacts of their work,” Mr Walker said.
“As Victoria suffered under the recent heat wave, limitations in the ‘surge capacity’ of our medical system were apparent. Health professionals have called on the government to urgently review how the state manages heatwave response.
“Our state government has walked away from meaningful action to reduce greenhouse pollution, including dismantling the emission reductions target in the Victorian Climate Change Act.
“It has retreated to a position where it has opted for an adaptation response rather than a serious mitigation strategy, and it’s Adaptation Plan has been criticised as being insufficient to task,” Mr Walker said.
