A new survey from Australian NGO Sweltering Cities has revealed the serious impact that this summer’s heat has had on Australians’ health. The 2024 Summer Survey received more than 2300 responses from people reporting their experience of heat over the summer. The Sweltering Cities Summer Survey is the biggest survey on heat, health and homes in Australia. 

The survey showed that the rising cost of living had made it especially stressful for many respondents concerned about the cost of using their air conditioning. 

A comment that reflected the feelings of many respondents was “As you try not to use aircon so as to conserve energy, the sweltering heat just gives you no choice, then 3 months later you’re struggling to pay the bill. No money to replace blinds and curtains to keep the heat out.“

Some of the people reporting significant impacts include renters in hot homes, people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, and people who say that the rising cost of living is impacting whether they can afford to stay cool. Ninety per cent of people with disabilities said they felt unwell on hot days or during heatwaves.

Some of the comments from people with disability included: 

“My disability is impacted by temperature extremes, and I struggle to self-regulate my body temp (e.g. perspiration or shivering). It means I get flare ups in times of extreme weather events.”

“Chronic pain patient so heat intensifies pain, affects sleep, physical activity reduced to being bed bound. Going outside is impossible.”

“I have Multiple Sclerosis and I lose my vision when it gets hot. It’s called Thermoregulatory Dysfunction. When I get hot, I stay hot for much longer than other people.”

“Can fully physically incapacitate me- frequent extreme pain from subluxations, poor sleep, heat reduces the effectiveness of various medications.”

Sweltering Cities recommended that to keep communities safe, governments need to address the root causes of vulnerability to increasing temperatures: housing, poverty, infrastructure, insecure work and of course, climate change. Executive Director Emma Bacon has said: “From sleeplessness and stress to incapacitating pain and hospitalisation, hundreds of people have reported heat health issues that should be shocking to decision makers.”

Some key statistics include: 

• 78% of people reported that they have air conditioning, but 65% of those people said that concerns about cost stop them turning it on.
• 85% of people with a chronic illness and 90% of people with disability said that they feel unwell on hot days. 
• 68% of people reported feeling unwell on hot days or during heatwaves. 
• 61% of people say that cost of living increases have impacted their ability to stay cool on hot days. 
• 54% of respondents who are renters said that they live in a low energy efficiency home. 
• 75% of all respondents said that they have the information to keep themselves safe during heatwaves, but only 63% of people from multicultural communities. 
• When we asked how people manage the heat, over 80% of people said that they either avoid walking or change when they do outdoor activities.

Read the full report here.

Contact emma@swelteringcities.org for more information.