Residents of Logan are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than most of Queensland, with several suburbs facing up to a fortnight of scorching hot days.
A new report by The Australia Institute warned there would be more than 14 days over 35C every year in many parts of the city by 2050.
This follows a hotter-than-usual winter in Logan that has made the history books.
In suburbs like Jimboomba and Greenbank, the risk of extreme heat to those most vulnerable is the greatest.
“Vulnerable groups may lack adequate access to cooling facilities, suffer from chronic health conditions that are exacerbated by heat, or face socioeconomic barriers that limit their ability to cope with extremely hot conditions,” the report claimed.
“In the next 50 years, if temperatures continue to rise, heat–related deaths are projected to increase across major Australian cities.
The report defined extreme heat as days over 35C because it is the critical temperature threshold at which exposure of six hours or more can result in death.
Vulnerable people comprise up to 15% of the population in many parts of west Logan, including Jimboomba, North Maclean, Park Ridge and Boronia Heights.
Report author Morgan Harrington said wealthier suburbs near the coast were better able to “withstand” extreme heat than outer suburbs.
“That is because of the indicators of income, health and age,” he said.
“Where you have higher concentrations of people who have an existing illness or who can’t afford to pay the air-conditioning bill, they are much more vulnerable to those days over 35°C.”
The report claimed lower-income households spent a higher proportion of their income on on utilities (including electricity for cooling) than medium and higher income households.
The last day of August this year was Logan’s hottest winter’s day on record, reaching a soaring high of 36.4C.
This temperature was recorded in the western parts of the city around Greenbank, while areas closer to the M1 reached highs of 33C, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
At the time, BOM forecasters described the day as “unseasonably warm” and “more akin” to that of a hot summer.
The previous winter record was 34.3C on 24 August 2009.
In January, similar parts of the city battled several days of temperatures nearing 40C following a Christmas tarnished by devastating storms.
Mr Harrington and the other report authors said the only way to avoid the dire consequences of climate change was for the government to transition away from fossil fuels.
“In Australia, governments at the state, territory and Commonwealth level can act now to prevent the hospitalisations, illness, and death that extreme heat will cause,” the report said.
“The subsidies given to the fossil fuel industries, which exacerbate the effects of climate change, could instead be used for building resilient support systems for vulnerable people.
“This would better protect Australians from extreme heat – now and in the future.”
