Climate, housing, energy and Indigenous health: a call to action

Abstract

"The convergence of excessive heat, poor housing, energy insecurity and chronic disease has reached critical levels"

Most Australians take safe housing and uninterrupted electricity for granted. Yet in remote Indigenous communities, low quality poorly insulated housing and energy instability are common.1 Most houses require prepaid power cards, resources are meagre, financial literacy is low, and people often have to choose between power and food. New evidence reveals extreme rates of prepaid electricity meters’ disconnection in these communities,2 making people with chronic diseases who depend on cool storage and electrical equipment particularly vulnerable. The convergence of excessive heat, poor housing, energy insecurity and chronic disease has reached critical levels in many parts of northern Australia, and a multisectoral response is needed to avert catastrophe. Medical professionals have a key role to play... Show more