Image: link between cost of living and climate crises from Report
Key findings from the report:
- Fossil fuels are compounding the cost of living crisis for families. Higher costs for oil and gas mean Aussies are doing it tough every time we fill up our cars with petrol or use gas to heat our homes (the gas bill for a four bedroom home in Victoria has jumped by as much as $750 per year since 2020) (1). It’s also fuelling inflation, increasing the price of groceries and other everyday items. And pollution from coal, oil and gas is driving worsening unnatural disasters, rising insurance premiums, with many households priced out of insurance altogether.
- As families cut back, kids miss out. Everyday costs mean parents are having to cut back on essentials just to make ends meet. Two in three families polled have been forced to cut back heating and cooling their homes and some have had to stop altogether (2). And more than half of families are buying less or lower-quality food, or skipping meals, with a third of parents saying this is directly impacting children’s wellbeing (3).
- Most Australian families are concerned about the rising costs of living and the climate crisis. Our polling revealed that both rising costs of living and the climate crisis are pressing concerns for a clear majority (71 percent) of Australian families. And parents worry costs will only worsen if we don’t cut climate pollution further and faster (4).
- Re-powering Aussie homes with clean energy and making energy efficient upgrades lowers the costs of living but is out of reach for too many families. Overwhelmingly, parents want access to solutions like solar panels, household batteries and energy efficient appliances. But many can’t afford the upfront costs or live in rentals, and need help from governments to access upgrades that cut bills and climate pollution at the same time.
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- Expand low-cost finance to help more families access bill-busting energy upgrades and slash climate pollution.
- Roll out rooftop solar and storage for all social housing.
- Ensure all new homes are affordable, healthy and all-electric.
- Introduce minimum standards for rental property energy efficiency to ensure renters live in healthy, comfortable and affordable homes.
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- Under Pressure, Climate Council, November 2024
- Under Pressure, Climate Council, November 2024
- Under Pressure, Climate Council, November 2024
- Under Pressure, Climate Council, November 2024
- Climate change fuelling insurance cost-of-living crunch, The West Australian, Climate Council, 14th November 2024
- Australian insurance policies forced to lapse as ‘extreme’ climate change hikes fees in cost-of-living crisis, The Nightly, 14th November 2024
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