Heat on as costs rise with mercury

A report set to be released today has revealed the social, economic and health cost of heatwaves in NSW, with the pain largely being felt in Western Sydney.

In the latest report compiled by Committee for Sydney and Scyne Advisory Committee for Sydney’s Resilience Program director Sam Kernaghan (right) said the economic impact would be worn by the “residents, businesses and taxpayers of Sydney and NSW”.

“Every time the mercury reaches 35C, homes and businesses are burning money across Western Sydney,” he said.

“These costs are being paid by us – residents, businesses and taxpayers of Sydney and NSW.

“Households are already paying more than $650 in additional per capita costs today from productivity losses, health costs, and costs of household cooling.

“Heatwaves are making Sydney’s west a less liveable and more expensive place to live, and that will get worse with time.

“We know heat will constrain outdoor operations and maintenance, including utilities, construction and the logistics sectors. Indirect costs include the cost of cascading impacts, such as melting road and runway surfaces, as well as the buckling of railways due to thermal expansion.

“Far more important than lost productivity is people losing their lives at work, on the sporting field and in their homes in Sydney.

“Heat is Australia’s silent killer, responsible for more deaths than all other natural disasters combined.

“On the back of the hottest year in living history, it’s time to take bold, brave and economically astute decisions to reduce the impacts of heatwaves to business and the community today, and to initiate longerterm steps to reduce rising health, household and economic costs.”