Australia has recorded a sharp 37 per cent rise in health-threatening heatwaves over the past two decades, according to the latest MJA–Lancet Countdown report released this week. The findings come as part of a broader annual assessment tracking how climate change is impacting public health across the nation.
Lead author Professor Paul Beggs from Macquarie University, who heads the Lancet Countdown Centre in Oceania, stressed that the data highlights the need for consistent, long-term tracking of climate risks in Australia. “The frequency of health-damaging heat has increased substantially since the 1970s,” he said.
The 2024 report covers five major domains: health impacts, adaptation, mitigation efforts, economics, and public engagement. One standout concern is the growing intersection of health and climate in Australia’s legal landscape. For the first time, the report tracked litigation in this area with Australia now ranking second globally in climate-related court cases. Health was cited in 11 such legal battles between 2014 and 2023, with courts increasingly reviewing how climate shifts are endangering people’s health, particularly vulnerable communities.
But the report also uncovered worrying gaps in Australia’s climate response. A 17 per cent drop in volunteer firefighters over just seven years has weakened the nation’s bushfire readiness. At the same time, fossil fuels still dominate Australia’s energy mix compounding climate threats. Emissions from the health care sector hit a 13-year high in 2021, likely influenced by care system disruptions during COVID-19.
Still, there are signs of progress. Australia completed its first National Climate Risk Assessment, which includes health and social support systems as core areas of focus. “This past year marks a major step forward in understanding how risks intersect,” said Professor Hilary Bambrick from the Australian National University. “It should help improve coordination in planning and response.”
Renewables now supply nearly 40 per cent of Australia’s electricity, with increasing contributions from both large-scale and household-level sources. “The shift to renewables is accelerating, but we must invest more in storage and reliability,” said co-author Professor Stefan Trueck, also from Macquarie University. The electric vehicle market is also booming 2023 saw a record 98,436 EVs sold, making up 8.47 per cent of all new vehicles.
Though Australia was spared from catastrophic climate events in 2023, its neighbours weren’t so lucky. New Zealand endured Cyclone Gabrielle and record-breaking floods. Report contributor Professor Alistair Woodward of the University of Auckland stressed that both nations can benefit from shared insights, noting, “We’re geographically different but facing the same squeeze from climate change.”
The report calls the next five years a “pivotal period” for cutting emissions and scaling up clean energy. Research in the field is growing 2023 saw 525 new climate-health studies from Australia, a 29 per cent jump from the year before.
The MJA–Lancet Countdown, launched in 2017, draws from a collaboration of 25 researchers from institutions in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. Looking ahead, the team aims to expand their focus to include Indigenous health and mental health impacts related to climate change.