We're going to need to branch out if we want to take the temperature down | Eco News

We've noticed it too in country towns like Bathurst where temperatures are hitting record levels.

Heatwaves kill more Australians than any of the other "natural" disasters like floods, cyclones and bushfires.

The elderly and the very young are particularly at risk. Outdoor sporting activities are jeopardised. And it isn't just fossil fuels that are to blame.

One of the researchers who has been studying this is Sebastian Pfautsch, Professor of Urban Planning and Management from Western Sydney University.

He does detailed recordings of temperatures across western Sydney and notes that the high temperatures have a number of causes.

Firstly, residential, commercial and industrial developments have involved lots of tree clearing, reducing the amount of shade at ground level.

In some western Sydney suburbs, 80 per cent of the land surface is covered by roads, footpaths, car parks and various types of buildings. This figure needs to drop to around 25pc!

Much of the cleared land is put under concrete and this retains the heat and ensures that cooler evening temperatures can't reduce temperatures dramatically.

Asphalted roads and car parks also absorb the heat unless they are shaded. Even artificial turf retains more heat than grass.

As Joni Mitchell so succinctly put it in Big Yellow Taxi in 1970, "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot".

And then there are the roofs painted in dark colours which absorb so much of the heat instead of reflecting it.

Cars also contribute to the temperature and air pollution through their exhausts and, in hot weather, their air-conditioners add to the external temperatures.

Reversing this will be difficult. We need to explore creative ways of better building design, building materials and better urban planning.

We may need to build higher in order to free up more open space. Or perhaps build underground where buildings are easier to cool.

Professor Pfautsch will be visiting Bathurst on Thursday, February 22. He will meet with council staff and speak about how Bathurst can benefit from becoming a member of the international project "Tree Cities of the World".

He will also present a talk for the general public at Green Drinks at 5.30pm for 6pm at The Greens on William (the lawn bowls club and community venue on the corner of William and Elizabeth streets).

This will be a great opportunity to hear and discuss some ideas for making Bathurst a more liveable summer city.