The Federal Government's adviser on the issue, Professor Ross Garnaut, told the auditorium the Sunshine State had a lot at stake in the fight against global warming.

He said climate change, if left unchecked, would result in the virtual death of the Great Barrier Reef this century, an end to irrigated agriculture along the Murray Darling system, and severe health impacts as a result of rising temeratures.

"Queensland has a lot at stake in the climate change issue, there's a lot at risk," Professor Garnaut said.

"I know that some people have criticised me for zealotry, for telling the story as it is, but I will try not to be affected by that and try to keep on telling the story like it is.

"At risk are some of the greatest environmental assets ... the world wonder of the Great Barrier Reef.

"If nothing is done about the growth of greenhouse gases there won't be much of that great wonder left later on in the 21st Century."

Professor Garnaut said the health risks climate change posed were less well known but just as worrisome.

"We had some of the top medical scientists in Australia to look at the effect on health of adding another 4.5 degrees...and because Queensland's hot already those increased risks turn out to be very substantial here," he said.

The state's agricultural industry also faced substantial fall-out from climate change if urgent action was not taken.

"In the central case, what the scientists say is the most likely case, it'll pretty well be the end of irrigated agricuture in the Murray Darling and there'll be a very substantial reduction in output from dry-land farming parts of Australia," he said.

Dozens of residents lined up to question Professor Garnaut on different aspects of his draft Climate Change Review, which was released last Friday.

Sherwood resident Bill McKeague and his daughter, Fiona, said they attended the forum to find out what was fact and what was fiction on global warming, as well as what it mean locally.

"It's an issue that affects everyone but we don't know enough about it," Ms McKeague said.

"I do things in my own life (to help) but I don't know where that fits into the bigger perspective."

Bill McKeague likened climate change to World War Three.

"We never had World War Three but climate change is quite possibly going to demand the same sort of countries working together, of rationing and of sacrifice," he said.