Climate Change–Related Heat Stress and Subjective Well-Being in Australia

Abstract

There is mounting evidence that climate change impacts compromise people’s well-being. Many regions of Australia have experienced record hot temperatures and more frequent and longer heat waves with substantial consequences for people, economies, and ecosystems. Using data from an Australia-wide online survey with 1101 respondents, we investigated the relationship between self-reported measures of heat stress and different dimensions of subjective well-being. After controlling for socioeconomic factors known to affect well-being, we found that heat stress was linked to people’s certainty about and planning for their future but not to their life satisfaction, happiness, social state, capabilities, or purpose in life. This result indicates that, while heat is not associated with present well-being, many people worry about the effect that increased heat will have on their future well-being. People who were uncertain about their future were also more likely than those who did not feel uncertain to think that heat compromised their productivity. People who agreed that they were competent and capable in their activities rated their heat stress–related productivity loss lower than those who disagreed. The findings are relevant for future studies using life-satisfaction approaches to assess consequences of climate change impacts and to studies in “happiness economics.” We recommend that future research on the impact of climate change on well-being go beyond simply life satisfaction and happiness and test multiple dimensions of well-being.

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“…Recent Australian research investigating the relationship between self-reported heat stress and subjective wellbeing showed that many people thought that heat compromised their productivity. 23 Last year, we reported on the combined effects of temperature and humidity on hours of labour lost, captured in what is referred to as the wet bulb globe temperature. This year, we calculated annual total hours of labour lost due to heat in the agriculture, industry and service sectors in Australia from 2000 to 2018 using an indicator that also includes the impact of sunlight on work hours lost (Box 7).…”

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