Assessing future heatwave impacts on Victorian health
Assessing future heatwave impacts on Victorian health
Understanding the challenge: Heatwaves and health in Victoria
As climate change continues, heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense, posing a significant threat to the health and well-being of Victorians. The "Assessing future impacts of heatwaves on the health of Victorians to inform more targeted interventions" project will explore future health impacts of heatwaves under different greenhouse gas emission scenarios, and support identification of effective interventions.
Our collaborative approach
We are partnering with the Victorian Department of Health to enhance data-driven decision making to identify effective interventions, minimise health impacts and strengthen the adaptive capacity of Victorian communities to heatwaves. The project is supported by the Victorian Government and funded by the Australian Government through the Disaster Ready Fund.
Expertise driving our research
Our project draws on the deep interdisciplinary expertise of our team, particularly in public health, epidemiology, public policy, climate modelling and climate adaptation.
We have extensive experience in understanding how environmental factors impact health outcomes and their trends across different locations and timeframes. Crucially, our expertise extends to projecting the future health impacts of climate change-related extreme weather events, providing vital foresight for Victoria.
Project summary
This project addresses a critical gap in Victoria's climate and public health research by providing a comprehensive analysis of future heat-related health impacts and their associated costs.
Led by a multidisciplinary team from Monash University and in collaboration with the Victorian Department of Health, the project will model the future impacts of heatwaves on health in Victoria through the decades, from 2030 to 2090.
Utilising the latest Victorian climate science projections, the team will model heat-related morbidity and mortality under different emissions scenarios (low and high). This analysis will use the Bureau of Meteorology’s Excess Heat Factor (EHF) to define heatwaves and provide data on health impacts across the Victorian healthcare system. The project will also estimate the financial burden on the Victorian healthcare system from these projected impacts.
Why this research is important
Current knowledge on the future health impacts of heatwaves is limited in Victoria. This information will inform enhanced preparedness and response and support improved community resilience to the inevitable impacts of heatwaves.
This project will provide the Victorian Department of Health with the data needed to proactively plan for future heat-related health challenges, ultimately improving public health outcomes.
Lead Researchers
Project Team
- David Sweeting
- Samuel Hundessa
Project Partners
- Victorian Department of Health