Sweltering Cities
Working with communities across Australia to amplify real heatwave stories and advocate for community driven solutions.
This grant supported Sweltering Cities to build a national movement around extreme heat and push for stronger action on one of Australia’s most unequal climate impacts. The funding helped expand its Summer Survey, grow Extreme Heat Awareness Day and lay the groundwork for Australia’s first National Community Heat Summit, bringing together people from heat-affected communities across the country. The work centres lived experience, builds new community leadership and connects local demands on health, housing and climate resilience with national advocacy ahead of COP31.
This grant supported Sweltering Cities and The Australia Institute to build public and political awareness of extreme heat in Western Sydney and its links to climate change. The project combined local stories with new research, polling and climate projections, producing the Heatwatch: Extreme heat in Western Sydney report and an interactive tool showing future heat risks by electorate. It also supported community advocate training, candidate forums and briefings with Western Sydney MPs, helping bring lived experience and evidence into public debate and local climate policy discussions.
