The climate crisis is already here for one in 23 properties in Australia that are at high risk of natural disasters fuelled by global warming.

The analysis by Climate Valuation on behalf of the Climate Council considered risks of flooding, bushfires, tropical cyclone winds, coastal inundation and extreme wind for 15 million commercial and residential properties. (Look up your suburb here).

Across Australia, 652,424 homes and businesses are at high risk and another 1.55 million are at moderate risk and facing abnormally high insurance costs.

Climate Councillor and economist Nicki Hutley said the main risk was the natural disaster itself, but the second problem was insurance costs. In areas where climate risk was high, insurance companies were charging $20,000-30,000 for premiums or offering a basic package with flood or fire cover excised.

This masthead reported recently on how Sydneysiders were paying three times as much for home insurance in some parts of the city as others. This is likely to be true in other cities and regions as well.

Hutley said the destruction of homes and relocations were already tearing apart the fabric of suburbs, including in NSW and Victoria.

“Somebody likened it to a boxer’s mouth where teeth are missing – houses are being destroyed here and there, and it obviously has a big social impact on communities as well as relocation costs,” Hutley said.

Nationally, the electorate most exposed to climate disasters is the northern NSW seat of Richmond, held by Labor MP Justine Elliott, which has 31,564 or 28.9 per cent of properties already at high risk.