Australia: Govt must protect infrastructure

The Climate Institute says government and business have much to do to protect Australia's infrastructure from damaging natural disasters and the long term consequences of climate change, reports AAP through the Business Spectator. This statement is reflected in the institute's report, 'Coming ready or not: Can Australia's infrastructure handle climate change?', which says that Australia’s electricity, financial services and insurance, and road and rail sectors are underprepared.

"Government and business should urgently address the gaps in climate change adaptation in order to avoid unnecessary loss of life, incomes and damage to major infrastructure assets," the report says. The Business Spectator further mentions that the report recommends businesses and infrastructure owners assess their likely exposure and vulnerability and establish three- to five-year plans to manage climate risk as well as the federal government refresh the national climate change adaptation framework to develop nationally consistent standards for including climate change risks in planning processes and coordination between levels of government.