Six of the 10 precincts in Australia most exposed to climate change-linked freakish weather events are in Queensland, according to a new study by consultancy Climate Risk.

The Gold Coast tops the list, followed by Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. Other Queensland local government areas in the top 10 rankings are Moreton Bay (6), the Fraser Coast (7) and Mackay (9).

The NSW Central Coast and the northern border area of Tweed placed fifth and eighth respectively, while the only Victoria local government area in the table is fourth-ranked Greater Shepparton. Mandurah in WA rounded out the list on 10th spot.

The analysis looks at areas that could be most affected from riverine flooding, coastal inundation, bushfires, drought-induced subsidence risk and wind threats excluding cyclone.

It considers the likely compounding effects of global warming on these events and estimates the likely exposure the areas face from now until 2100.

The total cost of damage, assuming all hazards are insured, is projected to rise by 55% over the same period.

Climate Risk Director of Science Karl Mallon says the number of uninsurable properties could see a near-double rise to about 720,000 addresses if global warming continues at its current rate.

The study released last week has sparked a new round of spats between the consultancy and the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA).

Earlier this year ICA accused the consultancy of “scaremongering” after similar data was released.

ICA again took aim at the consultancy’s latest findings with spokesman Campbell Fuller calling it “inflammatory reporting” in reference to the ABC news story on it.

But Climate Risk sees it differently.

“Even though this information is challenging, it is better to be well prepared and to take a risk-averse approach than to just stay silent,” Dr Mallon told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“We are taking a responsible position to inform communities about the risk in their suburbs that they may have no idea about.

“The insurance industry isn’t doing that, so we see it as a responsible thing to do to try and engage communities and also encourage them to implement resilience measures ahead of an event.”

See ANALYSIS.