Category: Burning up
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VIDEO: Over 40 Victorian orgs and leaders come together to lay out priorities for heatwave adaptation and transformation
The Greater Melbourne Heat Alliance was founded in 2023 to bring together organisations and leaders from across the city who are working to reduce the impacts of rising temperatures, support communities to build resilience, and tackle the root causes of heat vulnerability. At the first meeting in February, the Alliance agreed to run a heatwave…
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ACTION: Stop penalising people on Jobseeker payments during heatwaves
Heatwaves are the deadliest environmental disaster in Australia. We need to make sure everyone can prioritise their safety, and the safety of their family and communities when it gets hot. Unfortunately, the hundreds of thousands of people on Jobseeker payments who need to go to appointments, comply with their Employment Services Provider, or meet the…
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Heatwave Safe Homes for Renters event
Last Thursday, over forty people came together for our ‘Heatwave Safe Homes for Renters’ event at Trades Hall in Carlton, with more people joining online. To prepare us for the hot summer ahead, we heard from an incredible panel of renters, health and housing experts about the risks of living in dangerously hot homes and…
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“I have spent 18 out of 20 years of my life in rentals”: a young renter’s dispair
IL* is a talented artist and renter from Victoria. In this blog post, she shares her incredible paintings that tell the story of growing up in poorly built rental homes, without adequate cooling, heating or insulation. IL has changed her name because she is worried about backlash from landlords or real estate agents. “It’s rather…
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Sweltering Cities partners with Sydney University on Heat Stress Scale App
Sweltering Cities working with The University of Sydney’s Heat and Health Research Incubator on their Heat Stress Scale project. Did you know that more people die from heat related issues than all other natural disasters combined? Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a way to reduce loss of life and heat related illness and…
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“You dread it”: Sally’s experience of summer in high-rise public housing
Sally has lived in high-rise public housing in Melbourne’s inner city for 16 years. Her apartment is located on one of the top floors, and during summer the sun blankets her building from morning to night. The view from Sally’s unit in Carlton’s high-rise public housing. On sweltering summer days, it’s not safe for Sally…
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“Why should people have to suffer?”: Peter’s story of living in Melbourne’s baking hot public housing
For the last five years Peter has been living in high-rise public housing in Flemington, a suburb north of the city. In the three decades since Peter moved to Australia, he has seen Melbourne’s summers grow hotter, more intense and harder to cope with. A lack of insulation and cooling measures means that Peter has…
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“We hope this project will inspire others”: Moonee Valley Sustainability’s Cool, Safe Space
In response to the growing threat of extreme heat, Moonee Valley Sustainability, a volunteer run community group in Melbourne’s north-west, has embarked on a project to transform their Ascot Vale headquarters into a Cool, Safe Space. They want to provide a refuge for local residents during the coming summers, protecting them from the dangers of…
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VIDEO: Sweltering Cities speaks to author Jeff Goodell on his new book ‘Heat: life and death on a scorched planet’
On 18 July 2023 our Executive Director Emma Bacon spoke to American author Jeff Goodell about his new book ‘Heat: Life and death on a scorched planet’. Watch their conversation here and let us know what you think. Read more of Jeff’s Goodell’s work here. About the book: “Extreme heat is the most direct and…
