The widespread heat in the northern hemisphere hasn’t fully reached us yet in the Southern hemisphere, but over the coming years, it will as our massive oceans gradually warm up.  And unfortunately, this new global record probably won’t last long.

This record breaking hottest day is only one of numerous records we will continue to see broken, in light of our continuing rate of greenhouse gas emissions. This latest news points to what we already know – that changes in our climate are going to continue to increase and consequent impacts on our health and wellbeing are central to the fallout. More intense and frequent extreme weather events - whether these be bushfires, floods, storms or heatwaves – have substantial and grave implications for our health and wellbeing, and those at highest risk include the young and the elderly, those with current health issues, and those at lower socio-economic levels. Action on climate change is an issue of justice, and we face important decisions this year and this decade to ensure that our emissions from coal, gas and oil, are rapidly reduced, otherwise we will continue to watch records breaking across the globe, including in Australia. Crucial decisions need to be made in the lead up to and during COP28 to commit to the urgent transformations needed to secure a liveable future.