In response to the approaching Tropical Cyclone Alfred, Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said: “Communities in northern NSW and SE Queensland experiencing back to back disasters are asking why? It is critical that Australians know that Cyclone Alfred, like so many other extremes across Australia, is more intense and destructive due to climate change. This is essential to assisting communities and emergency services to prepare for disasters.”
The Climate Council has released the following statement to clarify how climate change has made this cyclone more damaging than it would otherwise be.
Media can attribute the following to Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie.
Cyclone Alfred more intense and destructive due to climate change
Published 6 March 2025
Communities in Queensland and northern NSW are bracing for the destructive force of the wind, rain and storm surges from Cyclone Alfred. It is currently moving towards the southeast Queensland coast and is expected to remain as a category 2 tropical cyclone until it crosses the coast.
It is critical that we understand that such disasters are no longer simply “natural”. Climate pollution has made Cyclone Alfred more intense and destructive.
It is vital that communities, emergency services, media and governments understand this to ensure that we can both tackle the root cause - pollution from coal, oil and gas - as well as prepare for more destructive disasters into the future.
There are several ways that climate change is influencing Tropical Cyclone Alfred:
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Climate change has made our oceans hotter which is driving more ferocious and destructive cyclones.
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Hotter conditions provide more fuel for extreme winds, intense rainfall and larger storms. Around the world maximum wind speeds are getting stronger for cyclones.
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The oceans on the east coast have been exceptionally hot. Sea surface temperatures were the warmest on record for each month between October 2024 and February 2025.
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The risk of flooding damage from Tropical Cyclone Alfred is greater due to climate change.
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One of the deadliest aspects of a cyclone is when a storm pushes ocean water onto land, called a storm surge. Sea levels around Australia have risen 20cm due to climate change and so a storm surge now rides on much higher seas. The storm surge during Cyclone Alfred will be higher, and go further onto land, as a consequence of climate change.
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A hotter world is a wetter world due to more evaporation. Climate change is driving more extreme rainfall, including during cyclones. Some areas in northern NSW and southeast Queensland could experience 40% of Brisbane’s annual rainfall in 24 hours.
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There is evidence that tropical cyclones are moving more slowly across the ocean and land. That means they can linger longer over communities and dump immense amounts of rain over a small area, while also sustaining damaging windspeeds for a longer period.
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Heavy rainfall and a storm surge together exacerbates flooding, which is a major risk right now for communities in southeast Queensland and northern NSW.
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Cyclone Alfred is tracking further south than cyclones usually do in Australia.
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Tropical cyclones normally occur in the tropics. Southern communities have rarely had to face or prepare for these sorts of events. Many homes and infrastructure in South East Queensland are not built to withstand cyclones and the destructive winds they bring.
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Scientists are concerned that as our oceans heat up cyclones may track further south on the east coast.
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Climate pollution is driving more ferocious and costly extreme weather events. While Australia is now cutting pollution, but it is not fast or far enough. We must slash climate pollution to prevent the problem from getting worse, as well as prepare communities and our infrastructure for the disasters we cannot avoid.
ENDS
The Climate Council has the following experts available for interview:
Amanda McKenzie – Climate science & Climate Policy
Amanda McKenzie is the CEO and co-founder of the Climate Council, Australia’s leading climate communications organisation. Amanda is an expert in climate policy, climate risk, and the economic and social consequences of climate change.
Availability: Anytime
Professor David Karoly – Climate Science
Professor David Karoly is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Melbourne and an internationally recognised expert on climate change science and variability. He has played a leading role in multiple Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments and has advised the Australian Government on climate policy.
Availability: Friday, Sunday, Monday
Dr Simon Bradshaw – Climate Impacts & Disaster resilience
Dr Simon Bradshaw is a Climate Council Fellow and Research Director (Adaptation and Resilience) Climate-KIC Australia, UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures. He has two decades of experience as a researcher, communicator, and advocate for climate action.
Availability: Thursday to Monday
Professor Lesley Hughes – Climate Change & Ecosystems
Professor Lesley Hughes is a Distinguished Professor of Biology at Macquarie University, specialising in the impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems. She is a former federal Climate Commissioner, Lead Author for the IPCC’s 4th and 5th Assessment Reports.
Availability: Friday to Monday
Nicki Hutley – Economics & Climate Risk
Nicki Hutley is a highly experienced economist with more than 30 years of expertise in macro- and micro-economic analysis. She has a particular focus on the intersection of the economy, society, and the environment, including the financial impacts of climate change and extreme weather.
Availability: Friday to Monday
Associate Professor Grant Blashki – The toll of Climate Change on our Health
Associate Professor Grant Blashki is a respected expert in the field of climate change and health. He holds positions as Associate Professor at the Nossal Institute for Global Health at the University of Melbourne and as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute. He can talk about the mental health toll of climate disasters on affected communities and the broader public health implications of worsening climate change.
Availability: Friday afternoon to Monday
Dr Kate Charlesworth – Climate & Public Health
Dr Kate Charlesworth is a public health physician based in Sydney. She has worked as a Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and at the Sustainable Development Unit in Cambridge. She can talk about climate change and public health and health system resilience in the face of climate-fuelled disasters
Availability: Thursday to Monday
For personal stories from regions in the cyclone’s path, contact the Climate Media Centre: [email protected]
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Or contact the Climate Council media team on [email protected] or call 0485 863 063.