Can South East Qld Survive the Climate Crisis?
Lecture, June 2023
By Dr Stephen Turton, DFIAG, RGSQ Thomson medallist, Adjunct Professor in Environmental Geography, CQUniversity

Australia has been classified as a “climate change hotspot”, with its natural, economic and social systems considered vulnerable or highly vulnerable to climate change (IPCC 2023). It has long-held the global distinction of being the driest continent with permanent habitation, with most of its population located in the more temperate coastal southeast, south and southwest of the country. Sixty-six per cent of Australia is arid and semi-arid. Over the past 50 years, there has been a detectable drying and warming of continental south-eastern and particularly south-western parts of the country in response to climate change. In the face of climate change, Queensland has been identified as being the most highly exposed and vulnerable jurisdiction in Australia. This dire status is due to its dominant tropical climate, a highly decentralized population and a strong reliance on the health and sustainability of its natural capital for its main industries (particularly agriculture and tourism).