AI Governance
Data Centers
Drones
Climate
Privacy
2026 Maine Senate
Bob Dylan
Climate: Featured Story
Coverage from WAtoday, Brisbanetimes, and others
WA Stalls on Heatwave Health Plans Before Summer
Western Australia is heading into a summer forecast to bring higher-than-usual daytime temperatures in Perth, while several commitments under its Climate Adaptation Strategy remain in progress. The health adaptation plan was due in 2024, and a WA Health-commissioned study projected substantial increases in Perth heat-related deaths and hospital admissions by the 2050s. The state says it has an extreme-heat hazard plan and is preparing health systems, while Greens MP Brad Pettitt is calling for faster action and practical cooling support for people most exposed to heat.
If you read one thing
The master report brings together the unfinished health plan, heat-risk projections, summer forecast and the state’s stated preparations.
The coverage establishes that the health adaptation plan is still listed as in progress despite a 2024 target, alongside a forecast of hotter-than-usual conditions. WA Health describes preparedness work, but the reporting does not establish that the outstanding strategy actions or the practical cooling measures Pettitt advocates have been delivered.
The Department of Health’s adaptation plan for health and human services remains in progress after its stated 2024 deadline; a separate commitment supporting Aboriginal-led climate action was also reported as in progress.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecast more than an 80 percent chance of above-usual daytime temperatures in Perth from December through February. A 2024 WA Health-commissioned study projected Perth heat-related deaths could rise about 60 percent and heat-related hospital admissions nearly 34 percent by the 2050s.
WA Health says an extreme-heat hazard plan is in place and that it is preparing systems, training staff, sharing targeted health information and working with hospitals; the department also pointed to a phone service that checks in on vulnerable people during heatwaves.
Pettitt argues the response is inadequate and calls for practical cooling support, including longer opening hours at air-conditioned libraries and better access to regional swimming pools. The coverage does not report those measures as adopted.