MetService has warned there is a hot week ahead for many parts of the country, with many towns and cities set for 30C weather.
The Ministry of Health's Heat Health Plan Guidelines, published last week, outline ways to support those most at risk during extreme heat, which include infants, older people and those with
pre-existing medical conditions.
Last week, researchers published findings from last summer's marine heatwave, suggesting the conditions could become the norm for New Zealand summers by the end
of the century.
The SMC has asked experts to comment on the heatwave.
Dr Alex Macmillan, Senior Lecturer Environmental Health, University of Otago and Co-Convenor OraTaiao: NZ Climate & Health Council, comments:
"Take care as the heat rises especially if you’re elderly, pregnant, or already have a medical condition. Babies and
children are also more at risk with rising heat, while healthy adults who work outdoors and those people who are in
institutions like prisons, hospitals, and residential care are also especially vulnerable.
"As we continue to see every year breaking new records for average and highest temperatures, climate change begins to
take its health toll in the form of more days of extreme heat.
"Even short duration, heat waves can increase deaths and hospital admissions from heat stroke, heart and lung disease,
placing a heavy burden on families, communities, and the health system. While New Zealand’s high temperatures are not
like those being seen in Australia, it’s what our bodies are used to and our buildings are designed for that matters
most.
"In New Zealand, this means temperatures in the mid-30s Celsius, which we are simply not prepared for. Hot dry days also
increase the health risk from bushfires, including burns and other injuries, as well as smoke-related air pollution
impacts on lung and heart health.
"As year on year we break new heat records as a result of our collective failure to act on climate change, New Zealand
urgently needs a climate change and health adaptation plan, so that we can ensure people’s health is protected from the
impacts of climate change, including these higher summer temperatures.
"The good news is that by investing now in well-designed climate action, including homes and public buildings that are
easy to cool without fossil fuels, and better city planning, we can stay healthier and more resilient to heat events
like this, and reduce our climate pollution at the same time. Protecting health from increasingly severe heat waves
requires New Zealand to be part of urgent global climate action."
No conflict of interest.
Dr Jim Salinger, University Associate, University of Tasmania, Australia; Visiting Professor, University of Florence,
Italy comments:
"As we move into yet another heatwave we need to consider where this fits with our warming climate. Below is the
combined land air and sea surface temperatures for the New Zealand region.
The combined annual New Zealand land air (NZT) and sea surface temperature (SST) record, in °C, compared with the
1981-2010 average. The blue bars represent individual years, and the red line trends over groups of years.
"Combining the weighted land and sea temperatures shows 2018 was the warmest year on record, at 15.26°C, +0.78 higher
than the 1981-2010 average, followed by 2016 with 15.07°C (+0.59°C) then 1999 with 15.02°C (+0.54°C). The warming over
the entire period has been about 0.8°C. The period centred on 2018 is the warmest in the entire record back to 1867.
"Last summer’s heatwave was unparalleled, for several extreme events and statistics. The average land surface air
temperature was 2.2°C above the 1981-2010 normal of 16.7°C. The peak month was January 2018, 3.2°C above normal and the
warmest month on record. The marine heatwave that lasted about five months, and 2.0°C above normal at its peak.
"And as the country enters another heatwave period for January, NZT [land air temperature] is running at 1.4°C and SST
[sea surface temperature] 1.8°C above average. Thus, this year SSTs are 0.2°C and NZT 1.0°C behind those of last year.
Global warming means temperatures are now about 1°C warmer than a hundred years ago. With further global warming, what
we are seeing now and last year's summer could be the norm in the years 2081 - 2100."
No conflict of interest declared.
Dr Karin Schütz, Senior Scientist, AgResearch, comments:
"Animal welfare is a major concern for New Zealand farmers during hot summer months.
"Cows will change their behaviour to cope in the warm conditions, including drinking more, eating less, seeking out
'micro-climates' in the shade or close to water, and orienting themselves differently from the sun.
"If you want to keep up production, you need to keep your animals cool. That can mean providing shelter (such as trees),
increasing access to drinking water, reducing walking distances, and preventing stress. If it is really hot, a lot of
farmers will use sprinklers at their milking sheds to cool the cows as they wait to be milked.
"Given a choice, however, we have found the cows will seek shade over the sprinklers, and from our research we know the
cows can tell the difference between different degrees of shade and will choose shade that protects them more from solar
radiation.
"Research shows that when the air temperature reaches 21C and humidity more than 75 per cent, it can affect the cow’s
behaviour and milk production could decline."