A mother of two has made the extreme move to relocate her family from western Sydney to escape the effects of climate change.
An Australian climate scientist who specialises in heatwaves has told of how she moved her family to a new city to escape “atrocious” temperatures due to climate change.
University of NSW climate scientist Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick shared her story in the documentary series Life at 50 Degrees, available to stream on Flash News.
The mother of two said she was so concerned about the extreme temperatures her family endured where they lived in western Sydney, that she made the decision to relocate.
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“I have experienced days of 45 and 47 degrees celsius and that was appalling, it was atrocious. You couldn’t do anything,” Dr Perkins-Kirkpatrick said.
“The only way we could stay cool in Western Sydney was to have the aircon running all day and that was a hard thing for me to do.”
She said she made the extreme decision to move her family to Canberra, where the climate is much cooler, for her daughters, aged 2 and 4.
“It really bothers me that the world that they’re experiencing now is a lot different from my childhood,” she said.
“During my first pregnancy, it was so hot that I actually struggled to put the washing on the line.
“While I was literally about to bring this child into the world, I was thinking what will the summers be like for her in the future.”
According to Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub, temperatures in Western Sydney already experience 10 degrees higher than in the city’s eastern suburbs. The region’s local government areas (LGAs) including Penrith, where Dr Perkins-Kirkpatrick was living, are expected to be the worst affected with a forecast of an average of four extra days of extreme heat by around 2050.
The climate scientist said the outlook for the area forced her to take action and make the move.
“As a scientist, I know how bad the future looks. I understand all that, I compend all that. That’s what I do for a living,” she said.
“But as a mum, as a person, as a human being, I really struggle with just how bad those impacts will be.”
At the time of the documentary, Sarah was building an eco-friendly home where her new suburb uses renewable energy. The house plans to feature solar panels, white concrete roof, lots of insulation and an adaptor to charge an electric car when she can buy it.
Produced by the BBC, Life at 50 Degrees explores the impact of climate change on people across the globe. The docuseries visits 10 countries around the world where temperatures reach 50 degrees Celsius.
Originally published as Family moves to another city to escape ‘atrocious’ temperatures due to climate change
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