MELBOURNE, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Annual deaths linked to heatwaves in Australia could rise to nearly 6,000 by 2100 under climate change, up from about 250 deaths per year in 2016-2019, a study revealed on Wednesday.
The research found that in some of Australia's hottest regions, such as Thamarrurr in the Northern Territory, heatwave-related mortality will increase by 4,412 percent and, in the least heat-affected region, the West Coast region of South Australia, the impact will still be significant at 356 percent, said a statement from Australia's Monash University.
By the 2090s, average annual excess mortality rates are expected to reach 33.9 deaths per 100,000 people in the Northern Territory, followed by 18.4 in the state of Queensland and 12.8 in the state of New South Wales, said the study published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
"These projections underscore the urgent need for integrated mitigation and locally tailored adaptation strategies to address climate-related health inequities," said Monash University Professor Li Shanshan, the study's lead researcher.
Heatwaves, or prolonged periods of extreme heat, are linked to higher illness and death from cardiovascular, respiratory, renal and heat-related conditions, researchers said.
The team, examining climate data for more than 2,200 communities across Australia, said the impacts would fall disproportionately on vulnerable populations, including Indigenous communities and residents in rural and low-income areas, where access to cooling and medical resources is inadequate.
They warned that without coordinated mitigation and adaptation measures, climate change will substantially exacerbate the health impacts of extreme heat and strain public health resilience. ■