The objective of this study was to understand the key barriers to low-carbon fuel switching and explore the merits and drawbacks of a range of potential solutions to these barriers.

Research has confirmed that climate change is contributing to the growing problem of heat stress in a wide range of Australian workplaces. This report provides first-hand accounts of dangerous levels of heat stress experienced in a range of occupations – including construction, outdoor maintenance work...

Analyses provided in this report will assist the development of the most effective tree planting strategies for each of Sydney’s 100 hot schools.

Frailty in older adults is a complex condition in which only a minor external stressor may cause severe complications leading to death. In the context of the recent devastating bushfires in Australia and the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, recognising and protecting those affected has magnified the...

The compounding effects of climate change and rapid urbanisation cause cities to heat up. The communities of Campbelltown City in the southern region of the Greater Sydney Basin already experience extreme summer temperatures and heatwave conditions. Until now, the magnitude of air temperature variation in...

This report examines microclimatic variation across the LGA of Cumberland Council, New South Wales. During the summer of 2018/19, more than 1.4 million individual measurements of air temperature were recorded at 97 locations in and around the LGA. Our data analyses revealed that communities living...

The compounding effects of climate change and rapid urbanisation cause cities to heat up. The City of Parramatta in the central region of the Greater Sydney Basin already experiences extreme summer temperatures and heatwave conditions on an annual basis. This report describes microclimate across the...

This analysis provides a view of how extreme heat events caused by dangerous combinations of temperature and humidity are likely to become more frequent and widespread in the United States over this century.

The National Weather Service of the United States uses the heat index—a combined measure of temperature and relative humidity—to define risk thresholds warranting the issuance of public heat alerts.

This policy note integrates multidisciplinary policy recommendations that could mitigate the numerous negative impacts of heatwaves on public health, urban infrastructure and services through adaptation to heatwaves.

Be Cool in Gannawarra focused on vulnerable populations of under 5 years olds and over 65-year-olds. The project focused on improving the service that are able to provide clients in Home and Community Care and Maternal Child and Health assessments to include heat as a...

Outdoor thermal discomfort pushes citizens into air-conditioned buildings and causes increased demand for water and electricity in the majority of Australian urban heat islands. Citizens’ spatial and activity preferences during heat stress conditions are under investigation in this paper. Citizens’ outdoor activity choices in different...

Many parts of Australia have been experiencing a long-running heatwave, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees in some areas. So what impact is this having on schools? And is it time for the government to roll out a national policy on heat protection? Research shows...

Heatwaves are Australia’s most deadly natural hazard and the principle driver of peak electricity demand in South Australia. The disproportionately high peak demand increases electricity prices, causes occasional blackouts and exacerbates energy poverty, all of which limit the use of air-conditioning. Meanwhile, the desire for...

During summer heatwaves, public spaces are frequently warmer than human thermal comfort preferences in a majority of Australian Cities. Citizens’ preferences of public space elements and supportive features during heat-stress conditions are under particular focus in this paper. Outdoor activity choices in different thermal environments...

This pilot study reviewed factors that combine to produce urban heating in Sydney’s rapidly developing urban fringe and key socio-environmental issues such as the health effects of periods of extreme heat and the loss of shading and cooling effects as the tree canopy is further...

This study assesses the daily excess morbidity, energy demand and consumption, and water supply in the Adelaide metropolitan region during heatwaves, between January 2008 and March 2014.

Although heatwave-related excess mortality and morbidity have been widely studied, results are not comparable spatially and often longitudinally because of different heatwave definitions applied. The excess heat factor (EHF) quantifies heatwave intensity relative to the local climate, enabling cross-regional comparisons. Previous studies have shown a...

In Australia heat waves claim more lives than any other natural hazard. To direct population adaptation strategies for a changing climate, it is necessary to be able to identify the location of groups within our population who are most vulnerable to adverse health outcomes associated...