Extreme heat, fuelled by the worsening climate crisis, is reshaping children's lives in Australia
As climate change brings more heatwaves to Australia, new research shows 85% of Australian parents worry about their children's health in extreme heat and 254 Victorian schools – close to 10% – were closed last summer during heatwaves.
YouGov research for the Australian Conservation Foundation, found:
- 85% of parents worry about their children's health and safety in extreme heat.
- 70% of parents have kept their child inside more often over the summer holidays, with higher numbers for parents of children aged 5 or younger (76%) and Queenslanders (75%)
- 67% of parents who kept children indoors had negative feelings including feeling confined (32%), stressed (26%), trapped (23%), anxious (21%), sad (21%) and overwhelmed (18%).
- 79% report heatwaves impact their family's sleep, with 21% saying reporting significantly impacts children's sleep and 58% saying it somewhat impacts their children's sleep.
- 45% reported limiting the use of air conditioners or fans during heatwaves because of the cost of power bills.
"For parents and caregivers, extreme heat is no longer just an inconvenience, it's a rising threat to their children's health, safety, routines and wellbeing," said ACF CEO Kelly O'Shanassy.
"This research shows how extreme heat is reshaping childhood experiences and family life.
"The culprit is clear. Burning coal and gas is accelerating climate change and destroying idyllic summers and the places, wildlife and the way of life Australians love.
"Unnatural disasters are forcing families to stay indoors or cancel plans to stay safe. As extreme heat events intensify, so do the calls for urgent action.
"Australia must stop digging up, exporting and burning climate-wrecking fossil fuels to curb the worsening impacts of extreme weather and unnatural disasters.
"The more we delay climate action, the more extreme heatwaves and uncomfortable nights we can expect. The only way to turn down the heat is to turn off fossil fuels."
Separate research by Parents for Climate found 254 Victorian schools and child care centres were closed for at least one day last February – 48% of those closures were on days over 35°C, 30% were on days over 38°C, 18% were on days over 40°C.
"From hot nights that disrupt sleep and searing days that restrict outdoor play, to the financial strain of constantly cooling homes and concerns about school closures, the effects of extreme heat are deeply being felt in daily life," said Parents for Climate CEO Nic Seton.
"Schools and early childhood centres are increasingly affected by rising temperatures and extreme weather. Unplanned closures cause chaos for parents who have to reorganise everything and can mean lost income for parents too.
"In smaller communities a sudden loss of access to childcare can mean a town's one GP can't see patients, or an area's one lawyer can't provide legal advice.
"But even when schools and early childhood centres aren't closed, increasing temperatures are bad for kids' health and learning outcomes.
"Parents for Climate calls for the services that educate and look after our kids to be properly supported to do so in the hotter world we find ourselves in."
Quotes from parents
"The weather is much more of a factor in what we do now, compared to my childhood. I don't remember my parents even talking about the weather and changing what we are doing. I am very worried for my children, both now and in the future. I am angry and concerned."
- Desiree, 44, from Leichhardt, Sydney, NSW
"I remember when I was a kid we had hot days – but not like now. Most of the time it's too hot for the kids to go outside and run under the sprinkler like we did, without risking getting sunburnt. The idea of a summer camping trip seems like an activity of the past no longer possible. Summer used to be days at the beach or pool, and the enjoyment of long days for even more fun. Now the combined concern of extreme heat, sunburn and threats of fire (we live in a regional area), summer outdoors is only possible in the early morning and late in the day… hibernating in the cool of indoors during the main part of the day. This is not how I imagined I'd spend my days as a parent when I had my first child 16 years ago. Compared to my childhood, the heat seems so much more unpredictable and the maximum temperatures seem so much higher."
- Laura, 45, from Tanunda, South Australia
YouGov surveyed 1,001 Australian parents and caregivers of children under 18 between 17 and 24 January 2025.
Sweltering Cities and Australian Red Cross are launching the first ever Australian Extreme Heat Awareness Day on Wednesday 5 February.
