Abstract:
Heatwaves have serious health impacts and we need a better approach to prevention and management
Last year was the world’s hottest on record, with anthropogenic global warming raising average temperatures about 1°C above pre-industrial levels. Even small increases in the average temperature influence extremes of hot weather. Heatwaves are becoming hotter, longer and more frequent, and are increasing the risk of bushfires. The number of record hot days in Australia has doubled in the past 50 years, and marine heatwaves are causing severe coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef.
The recent summer of 2016–17 saw the highest monthly mean temperatures on record for Sydney and Brisbane. On 11 February, the average maximum temperature across New South Wales was 44°C, making it one of the hottest places on earth at the time.
Heatwaves affect continuity of electricity supply and transport infrastructure, but often less visible is the accompanying surge in morbidity and mortality which in turn places enormous stresses on the health care system.