‘Global Warming’ to hit Australia severely as Melbourne and Sydney could boil up to 50 degrees by 2040

Canberra, October 4: Global Warming is soaring high as Melbourne and Sydney could hit 50C degrees even if the world meets its Paris Climate Change Targets. According to the study led by Australian National University, though Melbourne and Sydney could hit 50C degrees by 2040, other Australian cities are also on track for unprecedented extreme heat. 

Lead Researcher Dr Sophie Lewis said dramatic changes that will affect the livability of Australia are likely, even under ambitious Paris pact targets to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius. Dr Lewis said the grim reality would be an increase in heat-related deaths, such as those seen during heat waves in 2009. "We have to be thinking now about how we can be prepared for large population groups commuting to and from the CBD on these extremely hot days, how we send young children to school on 50C days, how our hospitals are prepared for a larger number of admissions of young or old people, and how our infrastructure can cope with it," said Dr Lewis.

"Major Australian cities, such as Sydney and Melbourne, may experience unprecedented temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius under 2 degrees of global warming. The increase in Australian summer temperatures indicates other major cities should also be prepared for the unprecedented future extreme heat."

"Urgent action on climate change is critical - the severity of possible future temperature extremes simulated by climate models in this study poses serious challenges for our preparedness for future climate change in Australia," Dr Lewis warned. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, last year was a “year of extreme events” and the fourth hottest on record at 0.87 degrees above the 1961-1990 average. The number of days per year in Australia reaching more than 35 degrees has increased by about seven percent per decade.