As a doctor working in the Northern Territory for the last 16 years “it is impossible not to see accelerating heat as the greatest problem Territorians face,” says Dr Simon Quilty.
“In the long term it is far more serious than Covid-19.”
Dr Quilty moved from Katherine, where he spent eight years, to Alice Springs at the end of 2019. He continues to treat patients here while also conducting research with colleagues at the Australian National University.
The results, to be published internationally later this year, will show clear evidence over recent decades that the NT’s death rates are going up in line with our rising temperatures.
“There is a lot of international interest in what is happening with climate change in the Northern Territory,” says Dr Quilty.
“We have the resources to keep data, and the heat impacts here are so extreme.
“People around the world are watching, because it will help them prepare.”