Sweltering Cities works directly with communities in our hottest suburbs to campaign and advocate for more liveable, equitable and sustainable cities
Heatwaves are Australia’s deadliest environmental disaster and cause more deaths than all other disasters combined. This environmental injustice affects some of our cities’ poorest and most marginalised communities – those with fewest resources to keep themselves and their families cool and safe.
We will empower communities experiencing extreme heat by lifting up stories of lived experience and building community organising campaigns around local impacts and public health. This will increase political pressure for climate justice, adaptation and mitigation which will make communities safer, decarbonise our cities and grow and diversify the movement for climate action.
Working at the intersection of health, economic injustice and climate change, we aim to:
The Solutions
Safe Homes for Everyone
Energy efficient homes will keep us safe in extreme heat, lower energy costs and our environmental impact. This must be the standard, not a luxury.
Lots of our existing housing, especially in hot suburbs will be unsafe as temperatures continue to climb. We need a retro-fitting program accessible to our hottest suburbs and homes, prioritising public and community housing.
New construction is unfit for future climate conditions. We need to improve state and federal building standards, using future climate data.
Cool Suburbs
Climate change and the urban heat island effect is having a real impact on the health and wellbeing of communities. Our suburbs and homes are getting hotter. Through better planning and energy efficient upgrades, we can work towards cooler suburbs. This needs to be targeted in hotter, low socioeconomic areas, which are often neglected compared to wealthier areas in cities.
What does this look like?
- Increasing tree cover and green spaces
- Accessible and welcoming cool public spaces (especially in low socioeconomic areas)
- Council areas, pools and water ways, heat refuges
- Safe and accessible public transport
- Better, weather proof bus shelters
- Climate resilience in our workplaces, schools and community centres
Nobody left behind
Heatwaves are Australia’s deadliest environmental disaster, killing more people than all other environmental disasters combined. However, the urgency is often understated as the health impacts of heat are not immediately obvious, with many people suffering alone.
We need to treat heatwaves seriously. During heatwaves we need increased health and social outreach. By supporting and prioritising marginalised groups’ access to cool spaces and heat shelters.
Clear information is essential, resources should be accessible and culturally specific. Moreover, support is needed for workers who are exposed to extreme heat conditions.
Justice and Participation
The best solutions are created by community members. Your contributions make our suburbs more equitable, liveable and sustainable. We must make space for local decision making in planning systems and regulations.
Our campaigns are created in collaboration with community members. Through your input in the Summer Survey, community events, and every conversation, we transport your experiences and ideas to decision makers, for better community outcomes, and tangible change.
