Climate Change, Wildfires, Heatwaves and Health Impacts in Australia

Abstract

Heat-related extreme events, such as wildfires and heatwaves, have historically imposed a burden on Australian society, and according to rigorous and robust scientific literature, it is expected that there will be increases in frequency, intensity and duration of these types of natural hazards. Within Australia, wildfires and heatwaves are currently responsible for more than 60% of all direct fatalities related to natural hazards, and it is highly likely that this is an underestimation as some health impacts are not routinely quantified (e.g. premature death related to air pollution from wildfire smoke exposure). Deaths attributable to heatwaves and fire smoke pollution are more commonly due to exacerbations of pre-existing health conditions, than to specific direct impacts such as heat stroke. Some groups, such as the elderly, infants and those with pre-existing conditions, tend to be more vulnerable to these impacts. Furthermore, evidence suggests that there are synergistic additional impacts when exposed to high temperature and air pollution, and that probably health impacts are considerably underestimated in the case of some specific groups such as those with occupational chronic exposure to fire smoke. To avoid increases in public health effects, society at all levels needs to increase its adaptive capacity. Measures need to be taken from a planning and management perspective through to community response at a local level, adequately focusing resources to include vulnerable sectors and population groups.

Cost-Effective Prescribed Burning Solutions Vary Between Landscapes in Eastern Australia

“…Smoke from prescribed burns can result in mortality and respiratory illness in local populations (Bowman and Johnston, 2005;Weisshaupt et al, 2005;Broome et al, 2016). Similarly, smoke from wildfires can also increase mortality in populations (Borchers Arriagada et al, 2020). Modeling the impact of smoke from fires requires an understanding of the rate of consumption of fuels and a three-dimensional smoke dispersal model (Wain et al, 2008) and was beyond the current study.…”

Environmental Hazards and Behavior Change: User Perspectives on the Usability and Effectiveness of the AirRater Smartphone App

“…A changing climate will also influence pollen loads and the length of pollen seasons, increasing pollen-associated risks and conditions [ 15 ]. Additionally, climate change is projected to increase vulnerability to heat-related health risks, which already pose a high health burden in some countries [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. In the context of these projected increases in health risks from environmental hazards in a changing climate, it is imperative to provide evidence-based interventions that support public health.…”

Extreme heat events from an object viewpoint with application to south‐east Australia

“…Surface high temperature extremes such as heat waves are associated with a variety of impacts on society, including but not limited to excess death and heat‐related health issues (Kovats and Hajat, 2008; Knowlton et al ., 2009; Oudin Åström et al ., 2011; Ye et al ., 2012), crop failures (García‐Herrera et al ., 2010; Ingvordsen et al ., 2018; Kornhuber et al ., 2020), bushfires (Cardil et al ., 2014; Gouveia et al ., 2016; Parente et al ., 2018; Borchers Arriagada et al ., 2020), infrastructure damage (McEvoy et al ., 2012) and reduced labour productivity (Hübler et al ., 2008; Dunne et al ., 2013). Beyond these human effects, they also have wide‐ranging ecological and environmental impacts (Ruthrof et al ., 2018; Ratnayake et al ., 2019).…”