We are in the middle of another (supposedly) ‘unprecedented’ summer, so it is no surprise that sensationalising social media is looking to create a crisis. In reality, summer heat is nothing new.

The current media emphasis is always on climate change – whether it be fictitious melting icecaps, the (alleged) destruction of the Great Barrier Reef, sinking Pacific Islands, or the extinction of polar bears. All of it is meant to indicate that the ‘end is nigh’.

A factual assessment shows that both the global temperature and carbon dioxide levels have, in the past, been higher. Without the world coming to an end, we should note.

Back in the land of climate reality, Earth is nearing the end of an inter-glacial period. We are between ice ages. These frosty periods typically last around 10,000 years and are related to the planet’s orbit and our star’s solar cycle. It is rumoured that the next ice age is coming!

Summer is hotter than winter – in some parts of the world, extremely so. Having lived in Germany for many years, the summer temperatures could sometimes reach 30C and then drop to -20C in the winter. Locals have adapted.

Global statistics approximate that 5 million die from extreme temperatures (cold and hot) annually. European statistics drawn from over 800 cities show that cold-related deaths outnumber heat-related deaths ten-to-one. Cold is a more proficient killer. A warmer world will save lives!

In Australia extreme cold is uncommon, but there is a small (but significant) resulting loss of life. A survey by Peden et al in 2023, showed hypothermia deaths rising from 8 in 2015 to 37 in the period 2020-21. This particularly affected the elderly living in cities. Is this increase due to climate change, or an increasing number of people living into their senior years? Maybe heating affordability has changed thanks to the cost of renewable energy? Hypothermia can occur at 10C and in water temperatures of around 20C.

Children are also vulnerable to the cold due to their lower mass to surface area. From personal experience, I managed a child who survived unscathed after 30 minutes under cold water. They experienced a rapid temperature fall which produced physical hibernation that protects the brain against damage. Warming has to be done with care, as critical irregularities of the heartbeat can occur around 30C on the way to the normal 37C.

At the other end of the spectrum – from ‘global warming’ to ‘global boiling’ (as coined by the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres) – there should be an increase in reports of heat stroke.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported 2,150 heat-related hospital admissions over the two years (2019-21). A third of these were in the over-65 group. The most common problem is that of heat-syncope due to inadequate fluid or electrolyte replacement, typically with exercise, leading to low blood pressure and fainting. Heat cramps are also caused by the same mechanism. Normally, adequate fluid replacement by mouth resolves the problem.

The next stage is heat exhaustion. This occurs where cooling by sweating is overwhelmed and the body temperature starts to rise. It is associated with additional symptoms, such as a headache, confusion, and rapid pulse and breathing. Treatment with intravenous fluids is usually required. Women are at a disadvantage in the heat as they have fewer sweat glands which do not produce as much sweat, meaning they are less able to control their body temperature through sweat evaporation.

When the body temperature climbs to 40C+, this is an emergency known as heat stroke. Consequences include muscle breakdown, kidney and liver failure, heart disorders, brain damage, and – ultimately – death. Vigorous cooling is required with treatments such as ice-baths, also internally with cooled fluids, sometimes even with kidney dialysis.

The typical circumstance for heat-stroke is excess or prolonged exercise with inadequate fluid and salt replacement, typically in a hot climate (although there are other explanations). Heat stroke can occur with an infection and fever or in milder climates with inappropriate clothing.

From my personal medical experience, heat stroke was an occasional occurrence on military exercises in Europe when wearing carbon-coated suits known as ‘noddy suits’. These are used to prevent biochemical poisoning – a very real risk considering the threat of chemical weapons.

Back to the ‘weather porn’ entertained by the media.

2023 was a year initially rated as ‘the hottest year on record’ for Australia. It was eventually downgraded to the 8th hottest year on record. Old temperature records have been discounted as ‘unreliable’, but there is still sufficient evidence to show that current temperatures are nothing new. The hottest accepted temperature is 50.6C at Chester Hill in 1909. Other temperatures, such as 53.9C, recorded by explorer Charles Sturt in 1828, are ignored.

Having lived in the Pacific and Indian Ocean Islands (neither of which is disappearing with the climate), I can confirm that, even in the tropics, people can survive without air conditioners or electric fans by employing common sense. One approach, as seen in other warm climates, is to take a siesta during the hottest part of the day.

September 2024 was apparently the driest ever recorded, followed by widespread flooding later in the year! Meanwhile, rainfall on the continent has not altered over 100 years, cyclones are decreasing in frequency, bushfires have not increased, and the Great Barrier Reef remains in rude health. Despite fire risk not increasing, the fire service has added to the heat-tension by changing fire risk classification from low/medium/high, to medium/ high extreme and catastrophic.

As the population has quadrupled over the last century, worldwide deaths from extreme weather events have fallen by 98 per cent! Such facts will not stop the usual summer media onslaught about ‘unprecedented’ temperatures. At the end of the day, the looming problem is not heat, but availability and cost of electricity. Unreliable and expensive renewable energy is affecting the ability, to both cool and heat our homes! By comparison, as winter looms, those countries which have just been cut off from Russian gas supplies by Ukraine, really do have a temperature problem!

Dr Graham Pinn, Retired Consultant Physician