Hottest days in South East Australia
There has been a long hot spell in south-east Australia, where residents have endured the hottest days on record. Adelaide had its hottest day in 70 years, with temperatures reaching up to 45.5 degrees Celsius this afternoon. Melbourne’s CBD reached 42C, with Laverton climbing to 43C. The hottest temperatures were recorded at Keith in southern New South Wales, where temperatures rose to 47C.The heat has caused an array of problems for residents across the region.
Organisers of the Australian Open in Melbourne had to interrupt the tournament for the first time today when temperatures reached 41C.Ambulance officers in Melbourne had to treat three people for heat stress and the extreme conditions led to train and tram cancellations in both Victoria and South Australia, frustrating overheated commuters.
Adelaide’s main southern train line, the Noarlunga link, was closed after the rail line buckled in the heat.Power outages have also been experienced, as people turn on their air conditioners to beat the heat. ABC News
As south-eastern Australia swelters through with the mercury above 40 degrees the Australian Conservation Foundation is warning heatwaves will become much more common if our Government does not get tougher on climate change.
“Adelaide and Melbourne are copping it this week with several days well over 40 degrees and we will experience many more days of extreme heat every summer if we don’t start to take strong action to tackle climate change,” said ACF executive director Don Henry.
“Melbourne currently gets around nine days a year over 35 degrees, but CSIRO research shows if the world doesn’t dramatically cut emissions we could be experiencing 27 days a year like this by the end of the century and Adelaide could cop 44 days over 35 degrees, up from an average of 17 now.
“The climate change plan the Federal Government will attempt to get through Parliament this year will condemn our children to much more of this kind of extreme heat.
“If adopted globally, the Government’s weak target to cut carbon pollution by just 5–15 per cent by 2020 would mean more heatwaves, the drying up of the Murray-Darling Basin’s productivity and the end of snow in the Australian Alps,” Mr Henry said.
“We can’t change this week’s weather, but it is in our hands to shape the climate our kids will experience. We need to cut carbon pollution by at least a third by 2020 to do our bit in making sure future generations don’t have to live with dangerous climate change.”
