Parts of the northern hemisphere have been suffering through record high temperatures. Canada has experienced the worst wildfire season on record. The world is becoming warmer and communities are struggling through seemingly endless heatwaves. Heatwaves are the silent killer. The 2003 European heatwave caused an estimated 70,000 excess deaths. 473 heat-related deaths were recorded in Australia in the 18 years to June 2018. This month Professor Ben Zaitchik joins the show to talk us through heatwaves. Ben is a Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University and explains what communities can do to mitigate the impacts of a warming climate. Ben’s research is directed at understanding, managing and coping with climatic and hydrologic variability. He holds a PhD in geology and geophysics from Yale University, a Masters in social sciences from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Harvard College. Andrew and Josh ask Ben what we can do to minimise the impacts of heatwaves, the effects of climate change which lead to climate migration, early warnings, heat islands, humidity and what happens when cities become unliveable.

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