Author: shahsanaa
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Renters across NSW told us that their homes are unsafe in extreme heat. This year, we had the opportunity to change that
Renters are baking in dangerously hot homes every summer, and it’s getting worse. Climate change means hotter summers and longer, hotter and more frequent heatwaves. This is bad news for everyone, but especially renters, who are more likely to live in poorly built, low energy efficient homes with no power to make changes to the…
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Event Recap: Heat and Disability Symposium
On the 26th of May Sweltering Cities hosted our first Heat and Disability Symposium, bringing together more than 120 people with lived experience of disability, researchers, advocates, and policy makers from across Australia to discuss how extreme heat impacts disabled communities. This event was run in cooperation with Writer and Disability Advocate El Gibbs, and…
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Data Centres, AI, Urban Heat, and Community Action comes together in Western Sydney
We are witnessing a data centre boom all across the globe and increasingly in Australia. Driven by growing demand for AI and digital services, data centres rely on heavy infrastructure and energy-intensive cooling systems. They attract billion-dollar global investment and in NSW, are being moved quickly through planning pipelines. This process has left limited clarity…
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Report Released: Summer Survey 2026
Summer Survey 2026 Reveals Millions Forced to Ration Cooling During Record Heat The Cost of Keeping Cool is Making Australians Sick Sweltering Cities has today released the findings of its 2026 Summer Survey, exposing a national health crisis driven by the rising cost of keeping cool. With data from over 2,600 respondents across 766 postcodes,…
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Extreme Heat Awareness Day 2026: Here’s how it went
On February 4th 2026, we marked the second Extreme Heat Awareness Day. It was the biggest ever national action on heat in Australia, and it happened because of people like you. Launched by Sweltering Cities and the Australian Red Cross, Extreme Heat Awareness Day brings people together for a powerful national conversation about the growing impacts…
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Australia’s biggest community heat survey launches ahead of dangerous 2025–26 summer
Sweltering Cities has today launched the Summer Survey 2026, Australia’s largest community survey on heat, health and homes, calling on people around the country to share their lived experience of rising temperatures and dangerous heatwaves driven by climate change. The survey collects qualitative and quantitative data on how people manage extreme heat; from cost-of-living pressures,…
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Fairfield Climate Fete: Cool Suburbs, Just Futures
Fairfield is recognised as one of the most heat vulnerable suburbs in NSW due to its surface temperatures, low tree canopy coverage, and socioeconomic and demographic data. We know that decisive government action can help create cooler, sustainable, and more equitable neighbourhoods for everyone. This is why Sweltering Cities, alongside groups such as Democracy in…
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Heat resilience around the world 🌏
With the public health impacts of climate change-fuelled heatwaves being felt on almost every continent, communities and organisations are coming together to improve heat resilience. Heat resilience aims to reduce urban heat, while also building the capacity of communities in adapting and responding to extreme heat events. At Sweltering Cities, we know that heatwaves impact…
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NSW Budget analysis and Net Zero Commission open for comments: Share your thoughts on extreme heat initiatives!
Scroll down for our hot takeaways from the 2025/26 NSW Budget (spoiler: we aren’t thrilled). The Net Zero Commission provides independent expert advice to the NSW Government in transitioning to a net zero economy. The commission is responsible for reviewing the climate actions currently being undertaken by the NSW Government and identifying recommendations to make…
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The Energy Debt Crisis
We know that access to cooling at home is crucial for preventing illnesses, hospitalisations, and even fatalities during extreme heat. However, rising energy costs are pushing more people into energy hardship and debt. The Antipoverty Centre’s report on energy debt, ‘Desperate for Relief’, provides a snapshot into the crisis of rising energy costs and unpaid…
