People Exposed to Climate Change: Australia
December 2024 to February 2025
Temperature anomalies
- Victoria, home to more than 5.6 million people, experienced the highest average temperature anomaly across Australia - 1.4°C above the 1991-2020 normal.
Australian States and Territories: Average Temperature Anomalies
Days with unusual heat made twice as likely by climate change
- More than 13 million people experienced daily average temperatures that were strongly influenced by climate change (defined as CSI 2 or higher) for at least two weeks.
Australian States and Territories: Unusual Heat Added by Climate Change
Risky heat days added by climate change
Risky heat days are days with temperatures hotter than 90% of temperatures observed in a local area over the 1991-2020 period. Heat-related health risks rise when temperatures climb above this local threshold. This is a conservative approximation of the local minimum mortality temperature (MMT), an indicator of the local links between temperature and mortality based on peer-reviewed research by Tobias et al. (2021) and Gasparrini et al. (2015).
- From December 2024 to February 2025, the average Australian experienced 35 risky heat days, 15 of which were added by climate change.
Australian States and Territories: Risky Heat Days Added by Climate Change
Cities experiencing the most heat
- Of the eight Australian cities included in this analysis, Melbourne, home to more than five million residents, experienced the highest average temperature anomaly - 1.6°C above the 1991-2020 normal.