<
https://theconversation.com/cruel-summer-ahead-why-is-australia-so-unprepared-219015>
"2023 has shattered climate records, accompanied by extreme weather that has
left a trail of devastation and despair, according to the World Meteorological
Organization at COP 28. Some of the most significant extreme heat events were
in southern Europe and North Africa, especially in the second half of July.
Temperatures in Italy reached 48.2°C, and record-high temperatures were
reported in Tunis (Tunisia) 49.0°C, Agadir (Morocco) 50.4°C and Algiers
(Algeria) 49.2°C.
Heat-related deaths are on the rise globally. In 2019, a study in The Lancet
attributed 356,000 deaths to extreme heat. A recent study puts the excess
deaths due to last year’s heatwaves in Europe at more than 70,000. The death
toll of this year’s heat waves is as yet unknown, but likely to be much worse.
Extreme heat events are without doubt the greatest risk to the right to life
caused by climate change. And this has major implications for those providing
key social services to lessen inequality.
An extreme heat event occurs when temperatures sit at roughly 5°C above average
for three days or more – and particularly when this is coupled with high levels
of humidity. These conditions pose serious health risks for older people,
outdoor workers, people with chronic conditions, pregnant women, children,
people living in poorly insulated housing or remote communities, people with
reduced mobility, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, refugees,
and people experiencing energy poverty and/or social isolation.
Our Climate Justice Observatory has modelled how many more such days vulnerable
people in Queensland will face.
Australia finally has a national climate health strategy, launched on December
3, and not a moment too soon. It points to the development of a National Heat
Health Action Plan that we needed in place at least five years ago. Some states
also have strategies, the most comprehensive being South Australia, with its
useful guide Healthy in the Heat. Melbourne, too, now has two Chief Heat
Officers, one of six cities globally that are participating in an international
movement to improve how cities handle heat in a warming world.
But we still haven’t done the deep thinking and planning required to get
communities ready – and the next El Nino driven southern summer is here. We
need to take a human rights approach to assessing its potential impact."
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
