Living Hot

In writing LIVING HOT Hamilton and Wilkenfeld have produced a concise, defining publication. As we all know, avoiding the cold and staying warm are drivers of human existence. In face of this, the slow heating of planet Earth can be missed. Or, when recognised, the wildest and most implausible solutions become a focus. Like making ‘green’ undersea cables in the Pilbara by combining renewable energy with locally sourced iron ore and alumina. Really? And to the author’s credit, left aside.

Hamilton and Wilkenfeld demonstrate the need for urgency in Australia’s transition to climate resilience, recognising Australia’s place in the world as a minor emitter of green-house gasses and a major food producer. They address the challenges of extreme climate disruptions in a drying and fire-prone country, while the populated coastal regions face the compounding hazards of heat, damaging winds and floods. Aware too of the difficulties of doing this in Australia’s dysfunctional three-tiered system of government, and the risk of maladaptation through the pressures of time. And of the most contentious of all adaptations - relocation. Of farms, businesses, towns and suburbs. With the struggle to preserve Australia’s natural environment in the face of unpredictable population increase.
Anyone dismayed by the endless talk of solving Australia’s climate crisis through some ‘Industrial Revolution 2’, will find new spirit in the guidance given in ‘Living Hot’.