While Australia experienced an abnormally warm winter in 2023, those in the northern hemisphere were sweltering through their hottest summer on record. El Niño has been officially declared by both the World Metrological Organisation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In September, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology confirmed that the El Niño phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was underway.
El Niño could make 2023-24 summer one of our hottest in years, with serious health consequences for the very young, the very old, and those with existing health conditions. While extreme heat is the deadliest natural disaster, heat also impacts healthy adults and physical activity limits, either for work or sport.
The recent Intergenerational Report outlined that increased temperatures due to global warming will lead to a reduction Australia’s workplace productivity which will cost the country between $135 billion – $423 billion. That’s why research at Griffith University is focused on finding solutions to combat heat’s impact on how we work, live, and play.
Physiologically there is an environmental ceiling we can tolerate before overheating. As climate change worsens, we will experience more days that approach or exceed these limits, impacting scheduling, duration, and intensity of activities to avoid heat stroke.
This is compounded by ageing, chronic illnesses, and certain medications that hinder our ability to maintain thermoregulation by reducing sweating and the ability of our kidneys, heart, and vascular system to manage blood flow. With an aging population and workforce, we need to prepare for the impacts of heat across all sectors.
Workplaces need to provide adequate heat hygiene practices and resources for their employees. Particularly those most likely to experience heat stress. It may include education around identifying and modifying known inherent risks, such as physical fitness, nutrition, sleep quality, obesity, and hydration. This can keep workers safe and productive.
Additionally, implementing environmental and physiological monitoring, adjusting work-to-rest ratios and/or providing spaces to physically cool workers – through air-conditioned or ventilated and shaded spaces, providing cooling garments, or cool water immersion, consumption or dousing – can be powerful tools to decrease heats impact on health and productivity.
Despite its widespread adoption across Australian homes, air conditioning is becoming more of a luxury. Energy costs, hotter temperatures, and possible blackouts may prevent its use when needed most. Research has been exploring more sustainable ways of operating air-conditioners or alternatives which maintain safety and comfort during heat events.
While running your air-conditioner
If air conditioning is not an option
Other general tips
Dr Aaron Bach is a Research Fellow within the School of Medicine and Dentistry at Griffith University. Aaron co-leads a Wellcome Trust funded project looking to develop heatwave risk mitigation strategies for older populations. Other ongoing projects include the potential for protective physiological adaptation as a result of heat therapy in adults with heart failure; and cooling workers to maintain productivity and safety in physically demanding workforces. His background is in human physiology, specifically occupational safety, work/exercise performance in extreme environments, thermal comfort, and risk mitigation strategies.
YouTube wields significant influence on mental health. It’s a double-edged sword, fostering both positive and negative effects. Parasocial relationships with content creators can deepen loneliness, especially among the vulnerable. YouTube can also educate, connect, and support mental well-being through informative content and communities as suicide prevention researcher Dr Luke Balcombe explains.
A recent UK trial of a four-day work week produced largely positive results, with over 90% of the organisations involved planning to continue the experiment. Some organisations found the experiment difficult to achieve with staff shortages already intensifying workloads for many employees, making it difficult for to increase work intensification even further. Decent, respectable work should focus on work-life balance, reducing workloads, and providing sufficient resources while engaging workers in direct discussions about their working preferences says Professor Paula Brough.
Griffith University’s award-winning urban planner, Dr Tony Matthews, applies his professional insights to the the “15 Minute City”. The 15 minute city concept is designed to ensure that most daily necessities are close by our homes and purports to return residents to a more local way of living but will fail to realise its promise for a broad section of the community.
