‘Urgency and political will’: SA’s climate risk threatens entire communities
Committee for Adelaide chief executive Sam Dighton calls for urgent government action as once-productive farms are deserted and extreme weather pummelling SA ports and towns puts entire communities at risk.
Climate risk is no longer tomorrow’s problem. For South Australia, it is already reshaping where we can farm, how we power our economy, and how we safeguard our communities.
Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA) lays this bare. It maps the hazards – more extreme heat, longer droughts, intensifying bushfires and floods, and rising seas—and warns of escalating threats to our homes, jobs and way of life.
With global warming already at 1.2°C, the report shows that at 1.5°C, we face up to 36 per cent more time in drought and a surge in severe heatwaves. At 3°C, drought could increase by nearly 90 per cent and marine heatwaves could stretch for half the year.
Globally, the picture is even more confronting. The University of Exeter’s Planetary Solvency report projects that if warming exceeds 2°C, global GDP could shrink by a 25 per cent, water and heat stress will drive mass involuntary migration and billions of lives will be lost.
As international thought leaders – Dr Mark Lawrence, Professor Göran Roos and Ross Garnaut AC – recently told Committee for Adelaide members how these risks are not abstract. They are local, personal and increasingly urgent.
South Australia is hotter and drier than ever. The Goyder Line is shifting south, leaving once-productive farms unviable. Ports, towns and infrastructure are more exposed to extreme weather events. Without a clear plan, whole communities risk becoming stranded assets—no homes, no income, no options.
That is why Dr Lawrence argues South Australia urgently needs a comprehensive climate risk framework, properly resourced and treated as the highest priority. A Chief State Climate Risk Officer should be appointed to coordinate efforts across government, industry and community.
And while we must stay the course to net zero, with an ongoing focus on mitigation, the NCRA is blunt: even if global targets are met, many climate impacts are unavoidable. Adaptation is no longer optional.
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South Australia has a strong record of climate action. We have reduced emissions by 57 per cent from 2005 levels, with a target of at least 60 per cent by 2030 on the path to net zero by 2050.
Our renewable energy mix has jumped from 30 per cent to over 70 per cent in little more than a decade, with a world-leading ambition to reach net 100 per cent renewables by 2027. Adelaide is ranked the second most climate-resilient city in the world, behind only Auckland, thanks to high biodiversity and decades of careful planning.
But this progress masks some gaps in our state’s climate action and preparedness.
The Committee for Adelaide’s 2025 Benchmarking Adelaide Report reveals that Adelaide still emits more greenhouse gases per person than nearly all of our peer cities, trailing behind places like Auckland and Bordeaux.
While we lead in rooftop solar, our green building certificates are nearly bottom of the barrel amongst 19 other international cities.
And we’re lagging when it comes to electrifying transport. Our electric vehicle uptake is sluggish at 6.5 per cent, well behind leaders like Portland which has an EV sales share of 18.7 per cent, and our EV charging infrastructure is nowhere near where it needs to be. Access in outer suburbs is half that of the city centre, and dramatically below global averages.
Australia’s passenger vehicle fleet is also ageing, with an average vehicle age of 11.8 years. Even if – hypothetically – BEVs made up 100 per cent of new car sales, internal combustion vehicles would still dominate the roads for more than a decade.
South Australia should continue its strong track record of innovation by encouraging the development of an e-fuels industry. Produced with renewable energy, e-fuels are compatible and blendable with existing fossil fuels, offering an immediate pathway to emissions reduction across the existing vehicle fleet.
In parallel, there is also an opportunity to promote bi-directional charging technologies such as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-home (V2H). These enable two-way energy flow between an EV battery and an external supply or load, allowing vehicles to store energy and share it with households or feed it back into the grid during periods of high demand.
Bi-directional charging could reduce household energy costs, enhance grid resilience by diversifying energy supply, encourage greater uptake of EVs and support local manufacturing – particularly as South Australian businesses are already producing bi-directional chargers in our state.
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As Ross Garnaut AC points out, emissions in our energy and transport sectors have barely budged—and won’t without strong intervention.
Both Garnaut and Roos believe South Australia can turn its green credentials and adaptation challenge into a global advantage. The Committee for Adelaide shares that view.
We could have completely green iron industry, creating jobs and reaping significant economic returns for the state.
Sustainable biomass, harvested from native vegetation already adapted to Australian conditions, could power new industries. South Australia has the land, the expertise and the renewable resources to lead in this space.
We could be the first state to go completely electrical vehicle, and we could completely overhaul our public systems to be clean and green, complemented with an active transport network that encourages walking and cycling, over cars and SUVs.
This vision is achievable, but it will not happen on its own. Government must intervene with courage, long-term policy and bipartisan commitment beyond election cycles. Investment and strong leadership—not wishful thinking—will decide our future.
This is not just a job for governments. Industry must disclose and act on climate risks, something already being driven by mandatory reporting. Business leaders now employ heads of climate risk as standard practice. Individuals also play a role—through their consumer choices, energy use, travel habits, and by pressing their super funds to invest in a cleaner future.
Above all, South Australia needs a shared narrative: one that is honest about the risks and bold about the opportunities. We cannot afford to downplay what is coming, nor undersell the potential for economic renewal if we lead the transition.
The NCRA must not be treated as a comfort blanket. It is a warning flare. We already have the science. We already have the technology. What we lack is urgency and political will.
South Australia has the opportunity to turn risk into resilience, and climate challenge into economic advantage. But the window for action is closing.
We can adapt, lead, and prosper—or delay, deny, and pay the price. The choice is ours.
Sam Dighton is Chief Executive, Committee for Adelaide
The Committee for Adelaide is a non-partisan, independent and sector agnostic think-tank, bringing together businesses, industry bodies, community, and government to help shape the future of Adelaide and South Australia.
The Committee for Adelaide facilitates SA ZERO, Adelaide’s first net zero cluster for public-private-academic collaboration.
