Heat records have been smashed today in South Australia as Adelaide experienced its hottest three consecutive days ever recorded in April.
Climate Councillor and climate scientist Professor Will Steffen said that Adelaide had experienced three consecutive days of temperatures soaring above 33°C for the first time ever in April, with some parts of the city experiencing 36.6°C heat.
“Once again, Aussie heat records are falling like dominos. This severe three-day heatwave in Adelaide is yet another warning sign of intensifying climate change, with extreme weather events such as this becoming more frequent, more intense and lasting longer than ever before,” he said.
Sydney was also hit with record heat yesterday, with temperatures climbing as high as 35.4°C, breaking the previous April record set just two years earlier.
“Sydney temperatures yesterday exceeded the April average by an astounding 10°C. We have only seen such dramatic temperature spikes a handful of times in the past 160 years,” said Professor Steffen.
South Australia’s regional centres didn’t escape the extreme heat with Port Augusta, Mount Lofty and Ceduna also experiencing record-breaking temperatures yesterday, and Ceduna sweltered through 41.3°C.
Professor Steffen said the new April heat records follow Australia’s hottest winter in history in 2017, with more than 260 records smashed during that season.
“Australia’s greenhouse gas pollution levels have been rising since March 2015, all while climate change driven extreme weather events, including the extreme heat we are seeing across the country, continue to intensify,” he said.
“Our window of opportunity to tackle climate change is closing quickly. Australia urgently needs credible federal climate and energy policy that will swiftly and deeply cut our greenhouse gas pollution levels, while continuing the nation’s transition to clean, reliable and affordable renewable energy and storage technology.”
The Climate Council has created a climate and energy policy roadmap ‘Clean & Reliable Power: Roadmap to a Renewable Future’, outlining 12 key principles that are essential to tackling climate change in Australia.
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