I’m writing this post from my desk at Merici on a pleasant mid-February morning. The sun is shining, and a cool breeze drifts into the office from the window on my left. It’s a stark contrast to the sweltering conditions that gripped most of Australia’s east coast from Friday until Sunday.
In NSW, the heatwave catalysed a Catastrophic Fire Warning, only the second time one has been issued in the state. 75 fires raged through NSW, the worst of which destroyed homes and properties in Uarbry. Four towns in regional NSW recorded their hottest ever temperatures - Walgett was 47.9°C on Sunday. In fact, the hottest 15 places on the planet on Sunday were all in Australia. In Canberra, while temperatures where a few degrees cooler, several suburbs experienced power outages during the hottest part of Sunday. It was only the third time in Canberra that the maximum temperature exceeded 40°C for two days in a row.
This extreme weather event is not isolated. It comes as we hear that 2016 was the Hottest Year on Record, surpassing 2015 and 2014 before that. This three-year string of hottest years on record breaks records itself. It hasn’t been seen since modern meteorological records began 137 years ago [1].
These kinds of events make most of us hot, sweaty and irritable. For some, they’re an excuse to cool off in a local pool or have a few extra icy poles. But for others, they threaten life and livelihood. The heatwave we experienced over the weekend is part of a growing trend of extreme weather events that has its roots in anthropogenic climate change.
At Merici, we aren’t ignorant of how our actions impact the environment around us. During 2016, we endeavoured to reduce our electricity usage so that our footprint – our contribution to climate change – is minimised as much as possible. Due to behaviour changes from students and staff, we reduced our bill by 15% between 2015 and 2016. But there is still much work to be done – at Merici, and globally. We can’t afford to take our foot off the energy-saving pedal. And the planet can afford it even less. 2017 is set to be a big year for Sustainability at Merici, and reducing electricity consumption is just one tool in our toolbox.
[1] http://theconversation.com/2016-crowned-hottest-year-on-record-australia...
Rebecca DeCourcy, Sustainability Officer
