National Climate Risk Assessment Lays Bare Climate Risk for Farmers and Rural Communities
AgZero
15 September 2025
The release of the long awaited National Climate Risk Assessment has laid bare the risks facing WA agriculture and our rural, regional and remote communities as climate change worsens.
The report assesses risks across society and environment, including communities, economy, agriculture, health, infrastructure and ecosystems and finds that Australia is likely to experience more intense and extreme climate hazards, along with future extreme weather that differs significantly from the past.
Corrigin farmer and AgZero Chair, Simon Wallwork said “WA farmers are masters of adaptation, but the release of the National Climate Risk Assessment Report makes it abundantly clear that our primary industries and rural communities across WA will increasingly face significant risks as a result of a changing climate.
“As the Federal Government considers the advice of the Climate Change Authority and prepares to announce Australia’s 2035 climate targets, we need the risks facing farmers and rural, regional and remote communities to be at the front of mind.”
AgZero CEO, Verity Morgan-Schmidt said “The choices we make today will influence the options we have available to us in the future. With farming communities on the frontline of a changing climate, we need to take action now to protect future productivity.
“In response to the release of the National Climate Risk Assessment, Western Australian farmers and rural communities need a strong, science aligned climate target of at least a 75% reduction in emissions by 2035.
“Agriculture has made strong and steady progress in decarbonisation within our sector, and our farmers are some of the most efficient in the world. But this report makes it clear that our risks are compounding and our collective response must match the severity of the climate challenge.”
The full report can be found here.
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For interviews, contact Sean Kennedy: [email protected] - 0447 121 378