Climate change hits low-income earners harder – and poor housing in hotter cities is a disastrous combination

<https://theconversation.com/climate-change-hits-low-income-earners-harder-and-poor-housing-in-hotter-cities-is-a-disastrous-combination-180960>

"Cost of living is a major focus in this election campaign, and yet political
leaders have been unacceptably silent on the disproportionate impact of climate
change on Australians with low incomes. This is particularly true for Western
Sydney, home to around 2.5 million people.

Over the last half century, the balance of Sydney’s social housing has been
pushed to the west, where it can be up to 10℃ hotter than the breeze-cooled
coast. Meanwhile, rapid housing development reduces existing tree canopy daily,
further intensifying heat.

This situation locks in cycles of disadvantage for decades and generations to
come. Even if we limit global warming to 1.5℃ this century, Western Sydney will
still experience fewer than 17 days of 35℃ per year by 2090.

Australia needs a more holistic, forward-thinking approach to the design of hot
cities, one that’s up to the task of changing with the climate."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics