Heatwaves are roasting southeast Australia 24-7 and have become a public health emergency in the process, the Climate Council says.
This week saw heatwaves sweep across large parts of southeast Australia and set new records in Adelaide (night) and Victoria.
Severe to extreme heatwave warnings remain in place until the weekend for, or parts of, ACT, NSW, Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia and Victoria; there are no warnings for Western Australia or Tasmania.
The VicEmergency service says there are 25 watch and act bushfire alerts in play across Victoria; firefighting efforts have been boosted by contingents from interstate (460), New Zealand (22) and Canada (74).
Climate Councillor Dr Kate Charlesworth says that “heat is a silent killer”.
“It killed more Australians than all other extreme weather events combined; more than 1000 lives were taken during heatwaves between 2016 and 2019.”
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HEATWAVES LEAD TO STRESS
The CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology’s State of the Climate report says the country is heating up year-round (not just over summer) as day and night temperatures are rising, and with more frequent extreme heat driven by climate pollution.
The bureau’s latest forecasts point to a cooling of coastal areas while inland areas remain hot.
Dr Charlesworth says: “When nights stay hot, bodies cannot recover; that is when heat stress becomes most dangerous.
“Hotter days and hot nights drive heat stress, dehydration and collapse, and the danger ramps up fast for older people, young children, people with pre-existing illness, and anyone working outside or stuck in a hot home without adequate cooling.”
Dr Kate Wylie, Executive Director for Doctors for the Environment Australia, says: “Bushfire smoke carries tiny particles that lodge deep in the lungs and can even enter the bloodstream, hitting hardest for children, older people, pregnant women, and anyone with asthma or heart and lung conditions.
“Climate pollution from coal, oil and gas is driving longer, hotter, more dangerous heatwaves, we need urgent action to protect our health and move beyond fossil fuels.”
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said: “Extreme heat is a dangerous, escalating threat, supercharged by the continued burning of coal, oil and gas. We need to rapidly cut climate pollution by scaling up clean energy, electrification and efficiency, and stop the expansion of fossil fuel projects.
“Families are paying the price while fossil fuel corporations push for even more coal and gas. We know the solutions — replacing coal, oil and gas with renewable power – but the transition needs to accelerate.”
- The Climate Council is a community-funded communications organisation. They provide authoritative, expert and evidence-based advice on climate change to journalists, policymakers and the public.
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