Heat Stress Spotlight Report
The Net Zero Commission’s second Spotlight Report delivers rigorous analysis into the impact of extreme heat and humidity in NSW. Drawing on independent research and engagement with key stakeholders, the report identifies nine findings across five action areas that would significantly strengthen the state’s resilience to heat stress.
Type: Spotlight Report
File: PDF 29.16 MB / Pages 114
Name: NZC-Heat-Stress-Spotlight-Report.pdf
An accessible version of the report will be available in the coming weeks. Please check back soon.
Key findings:
Action Area: Acute and Seasonal Heat Responses
- Finding 1: A coordinated, seasonal heat response plan for the summer months, which promotes early preventative actions, health system readiness and workforce planning would strengthen preparedness for heat stress.
- Finding 2: Ensuring the appropriate communication of declared heatwaves is needed to urge effective action and minimise health impacts.
- Finding 3: Public awareness and education on heat stress can be strengthened through a seasonal heat plan that treats heat like other natural hazards, applies emergency heatwave communication principles, mobilises inter‑agency coordination and integrates locally led messaging.
- Finding 4: To understand the scale of heat stress health impacts and the effectiveness of actions, data on heat-related deaths and illnesses should be tracked, collected, and published by NSW Health.
Action Area: Planning
- Finding 5: Strengthening how heat stress is addressed across all levels of the NSW Planning System would ensure our neighbourhoods are designed and built to reduce the risk of increasing heat stress into the future.
Action Area: Housing
- Finding 6: Current policies and regulations, especially for social, Aboriginal, and rental housing, should be revised to offer sufficient protections to their tenants and decrease their vulnerability to heat stress.
Action Area: Workplaces
- Finding 7: Strengthening SafeWork NSW regulations to prevent heat stress in the workplace would minimise the health and economic impacts of extreme heat on workers and businesses.
Action Area: Adaptation Planning
- Finding 8: Heat stress in NSW should be recognised in existing state-wide adaptation and disaster risk reduction plans.
- Finding 9: Providing capacity-building tools and resourcing to local communities to develop and coordinate locally led responses to heat stress could address existing gaps and account for place-based climates and characteristics.
The Heat Stress Spotlight Report has been delivered to the Minister for Climate Change on the Commission’s own initiative under section 20 of the Climate Change (Net Zero Future) Act 2025. The Minister is required to publish a response within six months.
Educational flyer
The Net Zero Commission has prepared a 2-page educational flyer about how NSW can strengthen its resilience to heat stress.