We all know that climate change is making Townsville's heatwaves worse - longer, hotter and more frequent than ever before. So, what can we do about it? How will our community adapt to ensure that no one is left behind in these silent natural disasters? We joined forces with Sweltering Cities, Once Upon Tomorrow and the Queensland Community Alliance to find out.

Over 35 participants from a broad range of sectors in the community came together to devise action plans for managing the direct and indirect impacts of heatwaves on our health, economy, environment and way of life. 

Union delegates, healthcare professionals, conservationists, social workers, academics, faith leaders and emergency response personnel all participated in various future scenarios and contributed concerns, questions and ideas to help shape community-led solutions.

Important themes that arose included the compounding impacts of heatwaves coinciding with other natural disasters, the need for safe, accessible spaces for heat-vulnerable people to keep cool and the correlation between extreme heat and aggressive behaviour, including domestic violence. 

The workshop, funded by the Fund for Rural and Regional Renewal, connected diverse stakeholders from across Townsville and support the development of a report to inform community leaders, policy-makers and others about the needs of our community for managing heat.

We highly commend the work of the organisations involved and the way they have centred regional voices and local expertise to help develop outcomes and solutions. Keep your eyes peeled for the final report, which will be a powerful tool in our advocacy for meaningful climate action!