Hunter Valley
The Hunter region in New South Wales incorporates the major centres of Newcastle, Maitland, Cessnock and Singleton with a population of 590,000.
Coal mining for export is the region’s most important economic industry, with the Newcastle port the world’s largest coal export facility.
Tourism and wine production are also important industries in the Hunter Region, which is the sixth most visited place in Australia, attracting more than 2.5 million people annually.
Climate change impacts
Temperature
- By 2050, temperatures in the Hunter region are projected to be hotter over all seasons by 1-3oC degrees, with more hot days. An increase in the number of hot days is expected to increase heat-related illnesses and death, especially among the elderly.
Sea level rise
- The Hunter region is the second most densely populated and developed coastal strip in New South Wales.
- Sea level rise and coastal storm events are likely to have a significant impact on the region and its infrastructure and communities, exacerbating the risk of coastal erosion, inundation of low-lying areas and loss of beaches.
- A study undertaken by Risk Frontiers identified the Lake Macquarie area, Newcastle and Port Stephens as among the local government areas in Australia most vulnerable to coastal inundation.
Bushfires
- The frequency and intensity of bushfires in the region is projected to increase, with a longer fire season as a result of warmer temperatures and higher evaporation rates. Bushfires and increased temperatures will significantly impact on biodiversity and protected forests, woodlands and wetlands such as the Barrington Tops National Park.
- More frequent and intense bushfires could contaminate water supplies with sediment and ash. Bushfires are likely to have a greater impact on the built environment, likely increasing insurance premiums.
Impacts on dairy cattle
- Climate change is likely to result in reduced production from dairy cattle in the Hunter region, with losses of up to 6 per cent by 2070.
Impacts on wine industry
- Rising temperatures due to climate change will pose a threat to the quality of wine grapes in the Hunter region.
This information has been sourced from a range of materials, including: Hunter Region Economic Indicators, Hunter Valley Research Foundation, September Quarter 2008, 2006 Census QuickStats: Hunter (Statistical Region), Summery of Climate Change Impact: Hunter Region, NSW Climate Change Action Plan - Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW, 2008, Jones, R & Hennessy, K Climate change impacts in the Hunter Valley: A risk assessment of heat stress affecting dairy cattle, CSIRO Atmospheric Research, January 2000, Webb, L, Whetton, P & Barlow EWR, Climate Change Impacts on Australian Viticulture, presented to the Thirteenth Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference, Adelaide, 2007, Leigh, R & Chen, K, A National Coastal Vulnerability Study, Report prepared for the Insurance Council of Australia, Risk Frontiers, Macquarie University, February 2006