More than 20 million Australians in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide could swelter through deadly heatwaves of more than 44 degrees stretching across 1.72 million square kilometres if temperatures rise by 3 degrees.

Australia’s National Climate Risk Assessment 2025 predicts catastrophic outcomes for Australian health, society and the economy if global temperatures continue to climb.

The landmark report, released on Monday, predicts that if Australia hits 3 degrees of warming above pre-industrial temperatures, heat-related deaths will increase by 444 per cent in Sydney (with western Sydney residents most at risk), 423 per cent in Darwin, 335 per cent in Townsville, 312 per cent in Perth, 259 per cent in Melbourne and 146 per cent in Launceston.

Heatwaves are already the main climate-relat

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