The cost of bushfires in NSW is expected to double by mid-century as climate change exacerbates the fire season, according to the Climate Council.

The state will suffer $100 million a year in damage as the season grows longer and more dangerous, it warns.

Climate Council Acting CEO Martin Rice has called on the Federal Government to “deeply and rapidly” cut Australia’s rising greenhouse gas emissions.

He says intensifying climate change is exacerbating extreme weather events, bringing rising temperatures, heatwaves, “supercharged” storms, more rainfall and bushfires.

Shifting to clean, affordable and reliable renewable energy and storage technology is critical to reducing risk, Dr Rice says. He says the Coalition Government’s National Energy Guarantee falls short of credible climate change policy, and Australia’s carbon pollution levels have risen every year since 2015.

Last winter was the hottest on record – a benchmark that was 60 times more likely to be set because of climate change, Dr Rice says.