---
title: Report reveals extreme weather toll on health
description: A new report has revealed heat as the leading cause of weather-related injury for every state and territory except Tasmania across the past decade.
---
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# Report reveals extreme weather toll on health
Thursday, 2 November 2023
A new report has found that heat was by far the leading cause of weather-related injury for every state and territory except Tasmania across the past decade. This finding has added to the urgent need for climate action to help protect the most vulnerable Australians in the face of increasingly frequent extreme heat events.
Freight transported across Australia by rail has dwindled to such minuscule levels that the industry is warning that the achievability of emissions targets will depend on the implementation of policies, infrastructure, and regulations targeted at countering the country’s over-reliance on heavy and polluting trucks.
And investors managing trillions of dollars in the US say that Australia certainly can attract a hefty portion of global green investment without splashing cash to compete with US financial sweeteners, however first needs to ramp up its climate targets and deliver a comprehensive suite of plans on how it will to work with industry sectors to cut emissions.
**Top stories:**
[Report unpacks toll extreme weather is taking on lives and health in Australia](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2023-11-02%2Faustralian-institute-health-and-welfare-report-extreme-weather%2F103044570&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=VVmPIEQbrMIGKD5DxZbisbNePnU&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5hYmMubmV0LmF1In0.G6KfJQf9DTg3BPfDRnL8aNk-KGOfbZc12czKSTcqj9BstN0qGFyj-TGroGNT_097qH1_WRMtfq5v4vGs7BrXgQ)
A new report quantifying the toll extreme weather has taken on the lives and health of Australians over the past decade has listed older people, younger men and Queenslanders as among some of the most vulnerable.
[Dwindling use of rail freight puts Australia’s emissions targets at risk, industry warns](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/02/dwindling-use-of-rail-freight-puts-australias-emissions-targets-at-risk-industry-warns)
New research has found that just 2% of freight between Melbourne and Sydney is taken by rail, making emissions targets unachievable without policy changes.
[Investors with $30 trillion want Australia to ramp up climate targets](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smh.com.au%2Fpolitics%2Ffederal%2Finvestors-with-30-trillion-want-australia-to-ramp-up-climate-targets-20231101-p5egpj.html&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=-irdm3Y9X9sW86eeYvC30DQvDc0&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5zbWguY29tLmF1In0.dLrErlrnr5ygrw6r9BmLnD1I0aNYVH93_YJo5EofLTHngNTsac5xMwvusd5MeI2-ZEAd-GcYmYdqdbniemYuyQ)
Investors managing trillions of dollars say Australia needs a more ambitious climate target to compete with other nations for global capital flowing into the green industry revolution.
[Company directors ‘could be liable for nature risk’](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smh.com.au%2Fbusiness%2Fcompanies%2Fcompany-directors-could-be-liable-for-nature-risk-20231031-p5eggd.html&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=0qjNYuqr7Rp_ZBzsNAuaKkFgYVc&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5zbWguY29tLmF1In0.dLrErlrnr5ygrw6r9BmLnD1I0aNYVH93_YJo5EofLTHngNTsac5xMwvusd5MeI2-ZEAd-GcYmYdqdbniemYuyQ)
Directors could be personally liable for failing to consider risks caused by a company’s impact on the natural environment amid a push for corporations to focus on a wider range of green issues beyond climate change.
[El Niño is affecting weather in the eastern states, but what's it doing to WA?](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2023-11-01%2Fel-nino-weather-pattern-in-wa%2F103032024&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=XiWZU7TZkTeJc-UP0f0Rqk-j7DE&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5hYmMubmV0LmF1In0.G6KfJQf9DTg3BPfDRnL8aNk-KGOfbZc12czKSTcqj9BstN0qGFyj-TGroGNT_097qH1_WRMtfq5v4vGs7BrXgQ)
While many parts of the east have already seen severe bushfires and extreme temperatures due to El Niño, another climate factor is dominating the weather pattern in the west.
[Concerns grow over environmental impact of illegal fishing on reefs off WA's Kimberley](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2023-11-01%2Fillegal-foreign-fishing-impacts-reefs-in-northern-wa%2F103043858&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=sxfg1FSdsKKHwfvU1khWm_Y0GLA&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5hYmMubmV0LmF1In0.G6KfJQf9DTg3BPfDRnL8aNk-KGOfbZc12czKSTcqj9BstN0qGFyj-TGroGNT_097qH1_WRMtfq5v4vGs7BrXgQ)
A senior marine science researcher says a decline in sea cucumber numbers on the Rowley Shoals in northern WA is concerning for global conservation efforts.
[More Australians race into EVs as Cannon-Brookes splashes cash on climate ambitions](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fbusiness%2Fmore-australians-race-into-evs-as-cannonbrookes-splashes-cash-on-climate-ambitions%2Fnews-story%2Ff8bd3993bd9112a8d0ed187b9eba8a0b&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=xbwIdo28WytpicaWF0tlut3Dpko&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5kYWlseXRlbGVncmFwaC5jb20uYXUifQ.z0YhcXM_Zyjb0qtjIO66Mlwb8gsobb4M8b208Mf6m27A1cIREoPU2v9gAw9d_B2w8EHsaiHI-84i65CXpP9-lw)
Australia is defying a global slowdown in electric vehicle sales as a fund backed by tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes steps up investments on clean energy projects.
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