A new interactive heat map shows Australia's capital cities could see twice as many days above 35 degrees by 2050. The tool from the Climate Council projects temperature averages under different emissions reductions scenarios which show more hot days could on the horizon for Darwin.
Category
đź“ş
TVTranscript
00:00 From mango madness to going troppo, handling the heat is part of life in the territory.
00:07 But worrying new projections from the Climate Council show conditions could become even
00:11 more difficult.
00:12 By 2050, Darwin could experience four times as many days above 35 degrees.
00:18 The climate heat map of Australia revealing parts of Darwin could swelter through an extra
00:23 three months of temperatures in the mid to high 30s by 2050 if the country continues
00:29 on its current emissions reduction path.
00:31 It's a prospect which concerns territory doctors.
00:35 The hotter that Australia gets and the hotter that the Northern Territory gets, the more
00:40 that Territorians' lives will be put at risk.
00:42 The Territory's most vulnerable likely to be hit hardest.
00:46 This issue will affect all Territorians, but it will especially affect at-risk groups,
00:52 which includes pregnant people, those who work outdoors, the elderly, young children.
00:58 It's not all bad news.
01:00 Projections show the amount of days above 35 degrees could be reduced by around a third
01:05 with additional climate action.
01:07 Alice Nagy is a mother of one living in Rapid Creek, which could be one of the most impacted
01:12 areas in Darwin.
01:13 It's very deeply troubling.
01:15 It keeps me awake at night, thinking about the projections and what it means for my daughter,
01:20 but also the wider community across, communities across the NT.
01:24 But Alice wants to see the Territory doing more to tackle emissions.
01:28 The federal government has an emissions reduction target of 53% by 2030.
01:33 It would be great if the NT government would pursue a similar territory-wide emissions
01:38 reduction target.
01:40 Concerns for the future, with hope for cooler times ahead for the Territory's future generations.
01:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]