By ANTHONY RADFORD

CLIMATE change is costing every Bendigo household almost $3000 a year, and it is not going to get any cheaper.

The latest State of the Regions report, commissioned by the Australian Local Government Association showed each Bendigo household was paying $2815 a year in costs associated with climate change.

That figure is about twice as much as metropolitan households.

According to the report, the loss of income from the loss of agriculture production from climate change costs every Bendigo house $1149.

Each household was also paying $1069 from the loss of carbon price.

That figure estimates the cost required to offset carbon emissions now and in the future.

The report also identified the cost to household in the region to secure water as $597 a year.

Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance executive officer Bronwen Machin said these figures were not going to decrease.

“As part of addressing climate change we are going to have to start putting a cost on emissions,” she said.

“If we do something, we will pay. If we don’t do something we will pay big time.”

Ms Machin said the cost of not acting on climate change was a lot worse financially.

“If we don’t work towards reducing climate change the costs are going to be much higher,” she said.

“It has been estimated the cost will be the equivalent of two world wards and the depression.

“If temperatures rise by five to six degrees by the end of the century, as they are predicting, it is going to be very hard for central Victoria to maintain an economy.”

The ALGA report also highlighted the significant climate changes in the region over the past decade.

From 2004 to 2007, the average temperature has risen by 1.2 degrees – from 20.1 to 21.2.

Rainfall has also dropped significantly in the region over the past decade.

From 1998 to 2002, the average rainfall was 651 millimetres. In the past five years, the average rainfall was 450 mm.

Across the decade the average was 550mm, a figure achieved only twice in the 10-year period.

Ms Machin said the high temperatures and low rainfall were concerning.

“The figures are showing minimum temperatures are increasing, which is an indication of climate change,” she said.

“With climate change we are expecting a drop in runoff and inflows of between 10 to 20 per cent on the current-year figures.

“We are getting decreasing rainfall and increasing heat, which is a double whammy.”

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