By Poppy Johnston in Canberra
Heatwaves and blistering hot days are responsible for more deaths than any other disaster, a reality heat safety advocates want reflected in a national plan.
Following days of maximum temperatures in the high 30Cs and low 40Cs across much of SA, Victoria and NSW border regions, Sweltering Cities executive director Emma Bacon is headed for Parliament House in Canberra to make the case for a stronger federal response to extreme heat.
“Heat is the biggest killer but is not really treated accordingly, we need a response that respects that,” Ms Bacon told AAP.
Responsibility typically rests on individuals to keep themselves safe in extreme heat yet she believes federal and state governments could be doing more to protect communities.
She highlighted the federal government’s $1 billion Disaster Ready Fund, set up to support disaster resilience projects caused by climate change and other natural hazards, as an opportunity to secure more money to protect communities from extreme heat.
The pitch aligns with the first-ever Extreme Heat Awareness Day on Wednesday, an initiative from the non-profit organisation and the Australian Red Cross.
Kate Wylie, executive director of doctors for Environment Australia and Adelaide-based GP, said heatwaves should be recognised as natural disasters that put communities in danger.
“We name cyclones… do we get to a point where we start naming heatwaves so that we can kind of acknowledge them as the danger that they are?” she told AAP.
“Heat is going to become more and more of a problem to our communities as we go forward, and therefore our governments need to anticipate that and act to keep us safe.”
Preventing outdoor work, schooling or sport in unsafe heat conditions should be a priority, she recommended, as well as investing in cool refuges for those without air conditioning or cannot afford to run it.
“It’s more than just being able to go to the shopping centre. There needs to be some kind of concerted way of protecting the community,” Dr Wylie said.
Heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and suicidal ideation tend to spike during heatwaves, with hot temperatures also linked to higher instances of domestic violence.
The elderly, those with underlying health conditions like heart disease or lung disease, pregnant women, and small children are all particularly vulnerable to extreme heat conditions.
Not only dangerous, heatwaves are disrupting education, with more than 250 Victorian schools and child care centres found to have closed at least one day last February due to extreme heat.
Nic Seton, chief executive officer of Parents for Climate – the group behind the research – said schools and early childhood centres were increasingly affected by rising temperatures and extreme weather.
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