2023 was officially confirmed as the hottest year on record. By early December we had already endured several heatwaves in Australia. And this year is expected to be possibly even warmer.
Many people with disabilities are at the front lines of the effects of heatwaves, and extreme heat can impact in many ways.
So, how can we prepare to stay safe during heatwaves? I spoke to climate, heat and disaster risk experts, and an occupational therapist to find out.
Extreme heat can be intimidating, debilitating and isolating
"Extreme heat is one of the climatic stressors that we face, with adverse impacts on our bodies and lives … and our most-at risk populations bear the brunt of the impacts," says Professor Petra Tschakert from Curtin University, who researches the intersections of climate, health and mobility justice.
For instance, people living with neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), experience a worsening of symptoms during hot weather, explains occupational therapist Sarah Coutinho.
"We see lots of people with difficulty maintaining thermoregulation. It's called thermoregulatory dysfunction. This can mean difficulties with extreme cold or hot temperatures, or the change from hot to cold," says Ms Coutinho from MSWA, a not-for-profit organisation that provides services to people living with neurological conditions.
"We know that 60 to 80 per cent of people with MS experience temperature sensitivity — it also worsens other MS symptoms which can really affect our clients.
"It's also about impacts like increased fatigue, reduced cognitive capacity or 'brain fog', difficulties with memory, and increased muscle weakness.
"It's a flow-on effect with symptoms that add to the day-to-day."
Managing symptoms and dealing with heatwaves often means staying indoors for several days at a time. This is where social isolation comes in. Local not-for-profit organisations that support people with disabilities can bring hope and connection to communities.
'It's unacceptable that people die because of extreme heat'
"I find it unacceptable that people die because of extreme heat in Australia every year, but it happens. We should not accept this," says heat expert Professor Sebastian Pfautsch from the Urban Transformations Research Centre at Western Sydney University.
"Air temperature influences our human thermal comfort, but surface temperature makes a huge difference in safety, accessibility, and its contribution to the overall warming of our cities, towns and neighbourhoods.
"It's very important because [urban] planning decisions can impact on the thermal comfort of persons with disabilities."
That's where trees come in.
"Trees shade and therefore keep surface temperatures low," he says. "When you have tree shade of high quality, so a [tree with a] very dense crown, like a fig tree, underneath you'll find that air temperature is [cool] … and you experience great thermal comfort."
More disadvantaged suburbs have less access to leafy areas and green infrastructure, Professor Pfautsch explains, which means in a lot of communities, people are "separated from many public spaces during extreme heat because they can't be used anymore".
"The problem comes down to using the wrong materials, and not providing sufficient shade or other means of cooling."
With last year's landmark report into loneliness finding one in three people feel lonely in Australia, the need for public green spaces for keeping social connections during heatwaves has never been greater.
'We need to change this trajectory'
Professor Pfautsch highlights the urgency in which we need to address urban planning processes in order to work towards equity for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and inclusion.
"The way we design our suburbs and where climate change will take us in the next 50 years, the little [tree] canopy that will be left in our cities — we need to change this trajectory.
"I want to see more trees coming back into our cities instead of the current trend where we see them disappearing.
"We can work with airflows, ventilation, irrigation for green places that will become cool refuges where we could spend a nice and beautiful afternoon on a 30-degree summer day."
How to prepare for extreme heat
"Temperature projections for the summer can be intimidating for a lot of clients, but there's help," Ms Coutinho says.
She recommends seeking help from disability support organisations like MSWA that provide people with support groups and services such as counselling and in-home care tasks like cleaning and meal prep.
"There are other simple options most of our clients already consider, like wearing suitable clothing and staying in cooler areas of the house, lifestyle changes and seeing your doctor as part of your thermoregulatory support."
Tackling heatwaves requires teamwork but also needs to be person-centred, explains associate professor Michelle Villeneuve, who is the deputy director at the Centre for Disability Research and Policy at The University of Sydney.
"When we prepare ourselves, we can support others who may need us when there's an emergency," she says.
"I would encourage people to take an all-hazards approach to their preparedness and draw on resources like the Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) toolkit."
She explains the P-CEP approach "helps people with tailoring their own emergency preparedness by learning from other people with disability and chronic health conditions".
"Step two of P-CEP is about knowing your level of preparedness and guides people to learn about their risks, including heatwaves and what they can do about it."
Wildaliz De Jesús is a Boricua writer living with multiple sclerosis. She is currently based on Whadjuk Noongar Land/Perth.
The ABC is partnering with International Day of People with Disability to recognise the contributions and achievements of the 4.4 million Australians with disability.
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