Climate Risk score
Climate exposure, hazard frequency, and adaptation context for floods, heat, storms, and wildfires.
Climate Risk in Sydney65/100
Climate Risk
Climate Risk in Sydney
Sydney faces meaningful climate exposure from heat, bushfire-smoke, and storm pressure, with improving adaptation programs. Climate Risk in Sydney scores 65/100, placing it in the developing group of the indexed set.
- Last updated
- 2026-05-16
- Data year
- 2025
- Module score
- 65/100
Primary hazard
Heat and bushfire
Heat and bushfire pressure are the main day-to-day hazards.
Flood exposure
Moderate
Storm flooding and coastal pressure require ongoing investment.
Adaptation capacity
Improving
Climate plans and infrastructure investment build resilience.
Sydney climate risk data table
This HTML table mirrors the visible score cards so important comparison data is never trapped in a browser-only chart.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Primary hazard | Heat and bushfire | Smoke events bring concurrent air-quality risks. |
| Flood exposure | Moderate | Catchment areas face periodic flooding. |
| Adaptation capacity | Improving | Implementation timelines extend into the medium term. |
Climate Risk city comparison
A crawlable comparison across a selection of same-country and top-scoring cities. The complete set is reachable via the rankings, the cities index, and each city profile.
| City | Score | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney (this page) | 65/100 | Sydney faces meaningful climate exposure from heat, bushfire-smoke, and storm pressure, with improving adaptation programs. |
| Canberra | 78/100 | Canberra's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Adelaide | 75/100 | Adelaide's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Melbourne | 74/100 | Melbourne carries moderate climate exposure from heat, bushfire, and storm pressure, balanced by active adaptation programs. |
| Hobart | 74/100 | Hobart's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Brisbane | 70/100 | Brisbane carries moderate climate exposure from heat, intense rainfall, and storm and flood pressure, balanced by active adaptation programs. |
| Perth | 70/100 | Perth carries elevated climate risk centered on drought, bushfire, and rising heat. |
| Gold Coast | 70/100 | Gold Coast's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Newcastle | 70/100 | Newcastle's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Wollongong | 68/100 | Wollongong's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Geelong | 68/100 | Geelong's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Sunshine Coast | 65/100 | Sunshine Coast's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Darwin | 64/100 | Darwin's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Cairns | 64/100 | Cairns's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Central Coast | 61/100 | Central Coast's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Ipswich | 59/100 | Ipswich's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Frankston | 59/100 | Frankston's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Orange | 58/100 | Orange's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Hervey Bay | 58/100 | Hervey Bay's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Bathurst | 57/100 | Bathurst's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Mount Gambier | 56/100 | Mount Gambier's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Bundaberg | 53/100 | Bundaberg's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Gladstone | 52/100 | Gladstone's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Tamworth | 50/100 | Tamworth's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Townsville | 50/100 | Townsville's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Toowoomba | 50/100 | Toowoomba's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Ballarat | 50/100 | Ballarat's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Bendigo | 50/100 | Bendigo's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Launceston | 50/100 | Launceston's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Mackay | 50/100 | Mackay's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Bunbury | 50/100 | Bunbury's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
Interpretation
Climate-risk scoring weighs hazard exposure with adaptation capacity. Sydney's hazards are real; institutional capacity supports a healthy score. Across the indexed cities the climate risk average is 62/100, so Sydney is 3 points above the median. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16. Drawn from 3 institutional references.
Read this module with the main open the sydney city profile and the read the scoring methodology page so single-topic pages do not hide tradeoffs across dimensions.
Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation. Verified datasets are being integrated; official sources should be used for critical decisions.
Sources
3 institutional references inform this view, listed below with reliability notes. Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation; verified datasets are being integrated and official sources should be used for critical decisions.
- IPCC: AR6 WGII Chapter 6: Cities, settlements and key infrastructure
Used to explain urban climate vulnerability and adaptation scoring logic.
- NASA: NASA POWER
Used as an energy-resource and weather-normalization reference.
- UN-Habitat: World Cities Report 2024
Used as a policy and methodology reference for urban exposure and resilience signals.
Continue exploring
These links connect module pages back to city, ranking, and sibling topic paths with crawlable href values.
Sydney city profile
Return to the complete Sydney profile with all module scores and source context.
Cost of Living in Sydney
Affordability, essential costs, and day-to-day financial pressure for residents.
Air Quality in Sydney
Health-oriented air-quality conditions with context from WHO, EEA, and EPA benchmarks.
Energy in Sydney
Clean-energy readiness, grid resilience, and solar or efficiency opportunity signals.
Safety in Sydney
Personal safety, institutional trust, and resilience signals informed by international safety and crime data.
Internet Speed in Sydney
Broadband and mobile connectivity quality, latency, and digital-readiness signals for residents and remote workers.
Overall Intelligence
A balanced ranking of cities across affordability, air quality, clean-energy readiness, and resilience.
Quality of Life
Cities that combine strong services, mobility, safety, clean air, and resilience into a healthy day-to-day profile.