On Monday 14th April, we brought Perth community members, experts, advocates and local organisations for our very first WA Sweltering Cities event, aimed at tackling the big question: Is Perth a Heat Safe City?
Spoiler alert: not yet – but the conversations, connections and ideas shared on the night showed that our community is ready to change that.
As Perth faces longer, hotter summers, this event was all about sparking new conversations on how heat is impacting our lives and how we can build a fairer, cooler and more resilient city together. Nearly 50 people from across the community joined us at the City of Melville EcoHub to connect, share experiences, and shift the way we think about extreme heat in WA.
Sweltering Cities’ Executive Director Emma Bacon and WA Campaigner Nat Edwards opened the night with an introduction on the work that Sweltering Cities does, the impacts of extreme heat, and the ways that heat intersects with health, and inequality. They encouraged the audience to reflect on the current narrative of heat in WA, and see that while we often hear “WA is just hot” or that “we’re used to it,” this can normalise the increasingly dangerous temperatures we’re experiencing, and shifts responsibility onto individuals. They expressed the importance of moving beyond individual resilience and start seeing heat as a collective issue – one that impacts our communities in various ways, and one that we need to tackle together.
Left: Panel speakers Carolyn Orr and Phoebe Autumn. Right: Panel speaker Nick Cook (left)
We were lucky to be joined by a powerful line-up of speakers who each shared unique insights into how heat impacts us, and how it intersects with other issues in our communities:
Carolyn Orr from Doctors for the Environment Australia, shared the serious and growing health risks related to extreme heat, particularly for vulnerable groups including children, our elderly, and those with existing health issues. Carolyn spoke about the increase in hospital visits during heatwaves, and how heatwaves are the deadliest natural hazard in Australia.
Nick Cook from WA Tree Canopy Advocates, who highlighted the critical role of trees and green cover in creating heat-resilient communities and combating the urban heat island effect. Nick spoke about the work that WATCA does to advocate for better tree canopy in our Perth suburbs (currently the lowest in Australia!) and the importance of community in fighting for these issues
Wildaliz De Jesus, advocate and writer, spoke about the unique impacts of heat on people with disability, and the need for inclusive, accessible climate solutions. Wildaliz explained that while extreme heat may seem invisible to many people, looking out for the visible impacts is the first step to working together to address this as a community.
Phoebe Autumn, anti-poverty activist, shared her personal story of experiencing dangerous heat conditions while navigating the challenges of Centrelink mutual obligations, a story that was featured in the Guardian. Phoebe spoke about how heat plays a part in trapping people in the poverty cycle, and expressed the need for better financial support to make getting through the summer months fair for everyone.
After hearing from our speakers, we opened the panel to questions from the audience – and the energy in the room was electric! People asked thoughtful, challenging questions about what we can do next, how we can act collectively, and we heard lots of curiosity and passion about growing our urban tree canopy!
To wrap up the night, everyone got to mapping out the temperatures that feel seriously hot to us, and compared these to health thresholds for heat risk and local temp records. It was a powerful way to remind us that heat isn’t just a number on a thermometer, it’s about how it feels, and who it impacts.
“Nights over 26° kill people”
“27° too hot to dog walk, pavement burns their feet!”
“31° – I feel trapped inside, unable to work or garden”
As part of the activity, we also revealed our brand-new temperature and health thermometer model – a visual guide showing how different temperatures impact our health, from the point where heat stress risks begin, to the hottest temperature ever recorded in WA. It sparked some great conversations and helped put our personal
Throughout the night, one thing was clear – people in Perth are ready to have real conversations about heat. Not just about how uncomfortable it is, but about how we can work together to make our communities safer, fairer, and more resilient.
Want to learn more?
Here are some of the great resources and organisations our speakers shared:
- Doctors for the Environment Australia
- WA Tree Canopy Advocates
- The Antipoverty Centre
- Phoebe Autumn’s powerful story in the Guardian
- Wildaliz’s blog on inclusive climate advocacy
What’s next?
We’re just getting started in WA. Over the cooler months, we’ll be focusing on listening to the community, having deeper conversations, and hearing what matters most when it comes to tackling extreme heat.
So if you’ve got a story to share, an idea to suggest, or just want to get involved, get in touch!
A huge thanks to everyone who came along, asked questions, and helped spark such important conversations about how we can come together to create a heat-safe Perth for everyone. We can’t wait to keep building this movement with you.
