Reducing heatwave and future climate risks for people walking in Queensland

Image: Townsville

Action 1.13, Action Plan for Walking 2019–2021
Status: Complete

Develop a State Heatwave Risk Assessment, including potential risk treatments and controls for reducing risk from heatwave and future climate for people walking.

Key achievements

At the time, the summer of 2018-19 was the hottest on record for Australia. The Queensland State Heatwave Risk Assessment 2019 (SHRA) report acknowledges that people outside, walking and using active transport are more likely to be exposed and vulnerable to heat related illness, and provides a number of risk management considerations to address this.

The Queensland SHRA was released in mid-2019 to provide stakeholders with clear and consistent information regarding the changing nature of heatwave risk in Queensland. The report was a collaborative effort between multiple participants, coordinated through a working group led by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), with Queensland Health (QH) and the Department of Environment and Science (DES).

The Queensland SHRA 2019 is the most comprehensive analysis of current and future climate risk undertaken for a natural hazard risk assessment in Queensland. It is underpinned by robust scientific analysis, enabling Queensland communities to understand, plan for, and reduce the risk from heatwaves.

Next steps

Around a third of Queenslanders report our climate as the most common personal barrier to walking. Heatwaves and prolonged periods of very hot weather in general pose serious threats to the health and wellbeing of many Queensland communities.

Heat, Health, and the Human Environment is a flagship project being jointly led by DES, QH, and QFES. This project will build on the findings of the SHRA and seeks to identify ways to reduce heat-related impacts on health in Queensland.

The SHRA will help QH to help transition the current Heatwave Response Plan to a Heatwave Management Plan. In addition to response, the revised plan will better reflect activities to prevent, reduce, and recover from heatwave risks.

Lead agency

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services in collaboration with Queensland Health, and Department of Environment and Science. 

More information

Access the Queensland Government Disaster Management Site for more information and to download a copy of the Queensland State Heatwave Risk Assessment 2019.