The record-breaking and relentless deluge that has flooded towns and cities in Queensland and New South Wales is one of the most extreme disasters in Australian history, and the devastation is wide-ranging. It lasted days and flooded towns, causing tragic loss of life and submerging tens of thousands of homes and businesses.

For many communities dealing with flood emergencies, this is the latest in a long line of climate change-driven extreme weather events they have faced in recent years, including unprecedented drought, unprecedented Black Summer bushfires, unprecedented powerful storms, and unprecedented scorching heatwaves. It is time for action.

Key findings:

• Climate change is firmly embedded in the 2022 flooding emergency that swept through southeast Queensland and New South Wales with some regions experiencing rainfall that was simply off the charts.
• The relentless deluge that has flooded towns and cities in Queensland and New South Wales is one of the most extreme disasters in Australian history, and the devastation is wide ranging.
• For many communities dealing with flood emergencies, this is the latest in a long line of climate-fuelled extreme weather events they have faced recently.
• Extreme weather events are worsening under accelerating climate change. Global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions this decade will determine how much worse things become.