CAIRNS residents will have to cope with more intense and frequent extreme weather events because of the failure of world leaders to do more about climate change.

The warning comes from James Cook University disaster expert Prof Jon Nott.

The professor of physical geography said extreme weather such as floods, cyclones, erosion, landslides, king tides and droughts would hit the Far North harder than the southern states.

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"We will see an increase in the magnitude and size of these extreme events," Prof Nott said.

"These natural hazards are going to affect us most, whereas southern Australia will see an increase in average temperature and decrease in rainfall, which will exacerbate drought and bushfires."

Australia should also prepare to receive refugees from low-lying Pacific island nations, which will face sea level rises, he said.

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Prof Nott said he had low expectations of what would be achieved at the climate change summit in Copenhagen.

He welcomed world leaders’ commitment to limit global warming to 2C but said that the target was insufficient.

"I didn’t even think we’d get that far … potentially they could have come away with absolutely no agreement," Prof Nott said.

"All in all, I think we need to do a lot more, there’s no question about that."

Cairns and Far North Environment Centre marine campaigner Steve Ryan said the failure to achieve a legally-binding agreement or certify specific targets put the region’s natural attractions at greater risk.

"The reef and rainforest are in greater danger than ever before because of the failure of this meeting to come to a certain agreement," Mr Ryan said.

"This is a document of talking about things they will commit to but there’s nothing binding about this."

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