Weat Australia had its hottest summer ever, but climate change and heat-related health problems barely made the news
Weat Australia had its hottest summer ever, but climate change and heat-related health problems barely made the news
Most stories during WA's record-breaking heatwave last month didn't mention the health risks of extreme heat and the link with climate change, despite overwhelming scientific evidence, according to an analysis of how news outlets reported on the event.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The midwife told us all the usual pregnancy things to keep the baby safe, but it felt odd to be learning about diet and sleeping positions while outside the city baked and trees died.
Detailed analysis of media coverage performed exclusively for the ABC by Monash University researchers, showed fewer than one-in-20 stories about the WA heatwaves mentioned climate change.
Although the report made clear the hot weather in WA was a result of climate change, not a single news outlet published this information that month, the Monash analysis showed.
The Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS) has begun mapping temperature variation across the city and plans to build public cool-space sanctuaries for residents.
Even as the north gets too hot, the supply of arable land shrinks, the forests of the south-west dry out at a record rate, and birds drop dead from the sky, WA has been slow to act, Dr Yin said.
The WA government has, however, committed to achieving net zero by 2050 and last month released a plan outlining the steps it will take to reduce emissions and help communities adapt to climate impacts including extreme heat.
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