Reports
2024 Summer Survey
The most recent Summer Survey has revealed the serious impact of heat on Australians’ health. The 2024 Summer Survey received more than 2300 responses and is the largest survey on heat, health and homes in Australia.
Busted Bus Stops
The 2024 Busted Bus Stops report reveals the infrastructure inequality resulting in Western Sydney communities baking at hot bus stops every summer. The report includes community stories and our proposed solutions.
Hot roofs report
In Sydney’s hottest suburbs, dark coloured roofs are heating up our homes and streets. We installed temperature sensors and spoke to residents in 12 homes across Sydney to see what impact roof colour is having.
Climate change and building standards
The way we build our homes now will decide how hot they are in the future, which will impact how safe they are and how expensive homes are to live in. This report, produced with sustainability organisation Renew, looks at the science, energy impacts and health costs of how we build our homes.
Cool Safe Spaces
The Cool Safe Spaces report looks at how people are using places like shopping centres and libraries to survive hot days and escape dangerously hot homes. Our research has found that around 30% of people are leaving their homes to go to a cooler location on hot days. We asked hundreds of people across the country where they go and why.
Summer Survey 2022
Sweltering Cities, in partnership with Healthy Homes for Renters, conducted the largest ever Australian survey on heat, health and homes. The survey gathered over 2100 responses across almost 700 unique postcodes. The report gives unique insights into how we’re feeling the heat and what people want done about it.
Tools
Often, media reporting on heatwaves fails to cover the health and social impacts. This simple guide covers information about heatwaves, suggestions for further sources, and some ‘dos and don’ts’.
We were excited to collaborate with the University of Sydney to create the HeatWatch Web App. This app allows people to understand their own heat stress risk and monitor their loved ones. You can customise the app to match your location and home.
Resources from other organisations
The Adrienne Arsht-Rockerfeller Foundation Resilience Centre has assembled an extensive set of policies, real-world examples and tools for cooling cities. Read more here.
The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) are leading the way in policy development and practical resources for local government and the community. Read more here.
The Australia Institute has used CSRIO and BoM data to project future temperatures in different Australian regions and cities. You can see the reports here and read about Western Sydney’s results here.
It can be hard to wrap our minds around what a global temperature rise of 1.5-2° will feel like. You can use this tool to see climate analogues of your Australian town or city in future decades under high and low emissions scenarios. Try the tool here.
