Claiming the heat record for the Pilbara is great for bragging rights, but the big picture it paints is grim

As I sat in my air-conditioned office 1100km away in Broome egging on Roebourne to break the all-time Australian heat record, then watching with pride as Onslow came out of nowhere to snatch it, half of me was very proud and the other half crying internally. See, it is great the Pilbara can finally lay claim to having the hottest ever recorded temperature. Sure we share it with South Australia, but no one cares about South Australia. Pilbara locals pride themselves on how hot the Pilbara is, so this is clearly an important record to have for the next time the Bell Tower Times pokes fun at us for telling people “it isn’t hot” where they are. It is also a pretty sobering stat. It wasn’t just that we recorded the hottest ever day or that a fair number of records fell that day, it is the cumulation and increasing frequency of record watching in the north that really should cause concern. Because for all the fun and amusement we get out of seeing heat records smashed, it is actually quite a grim reality. The world is warming — the science is in on that — and northern Australia is at the coalface. As the mercury rose last week a friend shared an article written in 2007 of a Brit complaining about being in a 41-degree heatwave. Truth is 41 degrees is par for the course in the wet season these days, most of us wouldn’t even bat an eyelash — even the Pilbara Brits. There’s so much talk in the North West about driving population growth to create sustainable communities and I would truly love to see more people move up here to realise the good lives we lead. But that just won’t be possible for much longer at this rate. I recall going to an economic development forum where a host of government and industry leaders talked extensively about the great opportunities to grow the north. It was mostly a yawn-fest with a few memorable speeches. One such speech was from Australian Urban Design Research Centre deputy director Julian Bolleter who, among all the bluster, wasn’t afraid to point out the elephant in the room. By 2100 northern Australia will be all but unliveable because of rising temperatures and increasing severity of extreme weather events. “If we don’t mitigate climate change, the idea of growing the North West is ridiculous by the end of the 21st century,” Mr Bolleter said. “You can draw a line across 26th parallel and say we can’t do it.” Mr Bolleter said the extreme heat, humidity and severe cyclones if climate change is not mitigated would make life in northern Australia deadly. Scary stuff, but words which need to be heeded by anyone thinking of moving or investing in the north. In the space of just eight years reporting on Pilbara heat records has gone from a once-a-year jaunt to a near-monthly sport during wet season. So savour the moment of defeating South Australia, but don’t forget the grim reality of what has just been achieved. Because time is ticking on the brilliant life we live up here. Without substantial change, we may be the last generation to truly enjoy it.