Australia: Temperature rises will make Brisbane a 'difficult place to live' within 30 years, report finds
By Shelley Lloyd
An alarming report has found temperature increases from climate change and urban growth will make Brisbane "a difficult place to live" within the next 30 years, and more people will be at risk of dying from extreme heat.
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The peer-reviewed study, which was published recently in the International Journal of Climatology, investigated the impact of urban growth and climate change on heat stress during summer in Brisbane, from the present day to 2050.
Dr Sarah Chapman's four-year study found the number of hot days and nights doubled with climate change.
"When we included urban growth, the number of hot nights increased even further," Dr Chapman said.
"With a doubling of hot nights, more people will be at risk of illness and death.
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"Unless we make some big changes, it means the climate in Brisbane is going to become harder to live and work in," she said.
"It's not just at-risk groups, such as the elderly and the very young that will be affected.
"These results show that even healthy adults will need to avoid outdoor activity throughout most of the summer."
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