An alarming new report from the Australian government has revealed heat-related deaths in Sydney could increase by 444 per cent if significant actions against global warming aren’t taken. The first 'National Climate Risk Assessment' was released this month, offering a blistering overview of the impacts climate change could have on our livelihood.
When looking at Sydney, the report showed that if temperatures rose by just 1.5 degrees, heat-related deaths would double, and if it raised by 3 degrees we would see more that 400 per cent more deaths.
Heatwaves are already becoming more regular occurrences, and more often than not they are being keenly felt in the suburbs of Western Sydney.
To mitigate the soaring temperatures across Western Sydney, local council initiatives are well underway to improve conditions by providing more shade from trees. In Blacktown, for instance, more than 12,000 trees have been planted across the past four years.
This initiative was kicked off back in 2021, with the NSW Government committing to providing 29 councils with more than $8 million in funding to plant more trees in the area.
Another heat trap that has been identified: the large number of cement carparks, which can become scorching during extreme weather events. In response, a recent NSW Government-funded project has introduced “cool car parks”, which use netting and plant canopies to offer shade on hot days.
In addition to removing things like synthetic grass from local areas, there has also been a push to provide cool refuge for members of the public when temperatures soar. Many spaces like libraries, churches and community centres have been earmarked as so called "cool zones", and will have open doors for those in need (actually, closed doors to keep the cool in).
Now, the state and federal governments have been tasked with creating action agendas by the end of 2026, which will hopefully provide a clear and hard line in the defence against climate change.
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