Be prepared - Climate change and the NSW bushfire threat.

Professor Lesley Hughes, Climate Council

Key findings:

1. Climate change is already increasing the risk of bushfires in New South Wales (NSW).
2. In NSW the fire season is starting earlier and lasting longer. Fire weather has been extending into Spring and Autumn.
3. Recent severe fires in NSW have been influenced by record hot, dry conditions.
4. The total economic costs of NSW bushfires in 2014 are projected to be $43 million. By around the middle of the century these costs will almost triple.
5. In the future, NSW is very likely to experience an increased number of days with extreme fire danger. Communities, emergency services and health services across NSW must prepare.
6. This is the critical decade.