In 2023 we have already had the hottest July ever and the hottest day in recorded history. As Australia looks towards the Northern Hemisphere’s baking summer, ...
Sweltering Cities
Building Power to Prevent Heatwave Disasters
GOAL
$125,000
international
01/12/2023 > 30/06/2024
FIELD OF INTEREST
- Environment conservation & climate change
TARGET POPULATION
- General population
- People experiencing socio-economic disadvantage or vulnerability
PROJECT SUMMARY
In 2023 we have already had the hottest July ever and the hottest day in recorded history. As Australia looks towards the Northern Hemisphere’s baking summer, we are asking ourselves: what the coming months will look like for our families, our communities and ourselves?
Heatwaves are Australia’s deadliest environmental disaster. They kill more people than all other disasters combined. Some of the people most impacted by extreme heat are the least able to keep themselves safe due to illness, poor housing or economic insecurity.
Sweltering Cities develops campaigns in cooperation with people who are experiencing the impact of rising temperatures right now. Campaign goals have to be tangible, winnable, and change the way we think about heatwaves. We’re looking at local climate impacts and solutions that contribute to global transformation.
We are taking powerful community stories to our state and federal leaders to convince them of the need for urgent action, presenting effective and achievable solutions that can be started today.
Our priorities for this summer are:
– Infrastructure and policies that combine heatwave adaption with climate solutions including: effective bus shelters in the hot suburbs of Western Sydney, banning black roofs in hot suburbs, support for low-income people to access affordable renewables and retro-fit programs.
– Health outreach programs that reduce heatwave vulnerability caused by inequality, poverty and discrimination, co-designed with communities, informed by experts and targeted to reduce inequality.
Update Australia’s Planning regulations so that all new building are safe in a future climate and help us reach net zero carbon emissions ahead of schedule.
PROJECT OUTCOMES
If we empower communities in our cities on the frontlines of extreme heat by amplifying their stories and building campaigns around local impacts and public health, we can increase political pressure for climate solutions and heatwave adaptation. This will transform our cities to make communities safer and reduce carbon emissions, and grow and diversify the movement for climate solutions.
Empowered communities supported by expert advice can transform our cities. Globally, 70 percent of carbon emissions come from cities and in Australia almost 90 percent of people live in urban areas. There is a huge opportunity to tackle the demand side of the energy transition through lifting minimum standards and supporting community transitions. We can go beyond encouraging people to buy energy efficient appliances to creating safe suburbs that reduce inequality and support decarbonisation.
By the end of this summer we aim to have:
- Put the stories of people baking in hot homes or sweltering at work at the centre of media coverage of heat records
- Won announcements for new policies or funding at a state and federal level that directly address the causes of heatwave vulnerability and support climate solutions
- Mobilised hundreds of people in hot suburbs and homes to join campaigns and build community power for grassroots solutions.
Sweltering Cities
Sweltering Cities works directly with communities in our hottest suburbs to campaign and advocate for more liveable, equitable and sustainable cities.
Working at the intersection of health, economic injustice and climate change, we aim to:
- Put the voices of people most affected by extreme heat front and centre in media coverage.
- Build powerful networks of diverse people and organisations, working together for climate justice.
- Win community campaigns with tangible outcomes.
The next decades will see a massive transformation of our cities by environmental disasters, technology and more. The choices we make now about how and where we plan and build cities will impact our lives, and future generations. Right now, our cities aren’t fit to deal with the unprecedented heat we’re going to experience. If we continue with business as usual, we’ll keep making the same mistakes.
Our vision is for people who live in Australia’s hot suburbs and homes to have the resources and ability to stay safe in heatwaves. We have transformed our cities to reduce carbon emissions and to be safe in the climate of the future. The benefits of creating better cities have been shared with everyone, and nobody is left behind in deadly hot homes, baking suburbs or dangerous workplaces.
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
TOTAL BUDGET: $225,000
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation (confirmed) | $65,000 |
| Women's Environmental Leadership Australia (confirmed) | $5,000 |
| Community Donations (confirmed) | $15,000 |
| Supporting heat health research to improve heatwave plans (confirmed) | $15,000 |
| Funding Gap (unconfirmed) | $125,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Community organisers | $80,000 |
| Communications support | $50,000 |
| Executive Director | $70,000 |
| Overheads | $10,000 |
| Project Costs | $15,000 |
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