Syd / Melbs Could Be Sweating Through 50ºC Days By The End Of The Century

When you’re talking about climate change, it’s really easy to get lost in the figures scientists spit out about average increases in temperatures and the broad impact of changes over the next couple of centuries. You might even read that and go “Meh! One or two degrees! Who cares! Not me!”

But look, there’s some new research which might put things in a more material perspective. According to new research from the Australian National UniversitySydney and Melbourne should be prepping for the possibility of 50ºC days by the end of the century – even if we somehow manage to curb increases to 2ºC as per the Paris Agreement.

Allow me the indulgence of this gif from Terminator 2.

Maximum temps approaching the 50 degree mark are obviously a fact of life in populated regional areas of the country’s interior, but it looks like scorchers like that are almost certainly headed to the coastal cities. ANU scientist Dr Sophie Lewis told the ABC that cities are in many ways less capable of handling extreme heat like that.

“In the city we have a lot more concrete and a lot less air flow, there’s a lot less ability to escape from the heat,” she said.

As anyone who lives in Sydney or Melbourne will tell you, the infrastructure of our big cities can barely handle extremely hot days as is – so it’s not great news if we’re headed towards the above-50s mark. Hot enough for ya?

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