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Three Aussie regions set to be unliveable

<p dir="ltr">Three major economic centres are set to become uninhabitable by the end of the century as global temperatures are on track to warm by 2.7C. </p> <p dir="ltr">It is predicted that Broome, Darwin and Port Hedland in WA are to be pushed outside the “human climate niche”, referring to the temperature and humidity conditions in which humans can survive.</p> <p dir="ltr">The destinations are just three of the many northwestern sections of Australia facing “niche displacement” in the next 70 years.</p> <p dir="ltr">New research by The University of Exeter, published in the science journal Nature Sustainability in May 2023, calculates the human cost of climate inaction based on current insufficient policies and government inaction.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to the report, two million people will be living with unprecedented mean average temperatures (MAT) above 29C. </p> <p dir="ltr">MAT &gt;29C is the point at which wellbeing scientifically declines, labour productivity and cognitive ability shrinks, negative pregnancy outcomes are emancipated and mortality rates soar.</p> <p dir="ltr">The report calculates that twenty per cent of Australia, around 374,977 Aussies, will be negatively impacted by the 2.7C temperature increase. </p> <p dir="ltr">Those Australians would join a third of the world’s population, including Africa, South America, and South-East Asia. </p> <p dir="ltr">A 3C warmer temperature in Darwin would mean that for 265 days of the year, temperatures would reach above 35C.</p> <p dir="ltr">At 40C, humidity soars and temperatures become lethal, the Australian Academy of Science reports.</p> <p dir="ltr">The University of Exeter report also explained the effects of a “wet-bulb temperature” where temperature and humidity are combined. In temperatures above 28C (WBT) body struggles to cool itself by sweating, and fails to do so in temperatures above 35C (WBT), which can be fatal.</p> <p dir="ltr">By limiting global warming to 1.5C, which is the goal of the Paris Agreement, 80 per cent of those at risk of rising temperatures would remain in their climate niche.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, scientists warn that a 1.5C will still cause severe and irreversible effects on people, wildlife and ecosystems.</p> <p dir="ltr">Global warming currently sits at 1.2C, but new research from The World Meteorological Organisation suggests there is a 66 per cent chance at least one year in the next five will breach the 1.5C threshold. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Despite increased pledges and targets to tackle climate change, current policies still leave the world on course for about 2.7C end-of-century global warming,” The University of Exeter report said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“These results highlight the need for more decisive policy action to limit the human costs and inequities of climate change.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The report also found the impacts of rising temperatures will not be felt equally, as estimates of the human cost of climate change “tend to be expressed in monetary terms”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“(Estimates) tends to recognise impacts on the rich more than those on the poor (because the rich have more money to lose) and tend to value those living now over those living in the future (because future damages are subject to economic discounting),” the report said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“From an equity standpoint, this is unethical — when life or health are at stake, all people should be considered equal, whether rich or poor, alive or yet to be born.”</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Family forced to live in a tent after mould infestation makes house "unliveable"

<p>A family of five have been forced to live in a tent in their backyard after their home was overrun with an infestation of black mould that was making their children sick. </p> <p>Andrew Walsh-Baldwin and his wife Angalina took the drastic measure to move into the backyard of their $480,000 property in Victoria after the toxic mould in their newly purchased home caused all three of their young kids to fall ill.</p> <p>Their home has been rendered "unliveable" by construction experts, who said their home has not allowed for proper drainage during the unprecedented amount of rain. </p> <p>Ms Walsh-Baldwin broke down in tears when talking to Nine News, as she said "it's been freezing" living in the tent.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">A family of five is living in a tent, after heavy rain caused black mould to flourish in their home. </p> <p>Serious building defects in the newly purchased property are also contributing to the spread, which is making the kids sick. <a href="https://twitter.com/reid_butler9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@reid_butler9</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9News?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9News</a> <a href="https://t.co/IR1AqLNpI3">pic.twitter.com/IR1AqLNpI3</a></p> <p>— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) <a href="https://twitter.com/9NewsMelb/status/1594595429681098759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>"This was supposed to be our home," she said.</p> <p>Her husband Baldwin said, "The other week we got 190ml (of rain). I can't believe... we've got to this point."</p> <p>"The kids have been getting sick and missed a full term of kinder," he said. "You just feel inadequate now because, as a parent, we've failed."</p> <p>Dr Cameron Jones of Biological Health Services, who inspected the house, said it was among the worst cases of mould he'd ever seen. </p> <p>"When I've done moisture testing on the timbers, they're showing anywhere from 20 to 30 per cent plus," he said, before revealing the safe level is a maximum of 15 per cent.</p> <p>Building inspector Zeher Khalil, who is helping the family out free of charge, said what he found at the house is "unbelievable". </p> <p>"To pay $480,000 for this house, I mean I just feel like I've been ripped off," he said.</p> <p>The family is insured with Allianz, but their claims were rejected because the company said the defects were pre-existing, with Ms Walsh-Baldwin saying, "We've got rights too."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Nine News</em></p>

Real Estate

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TV star buys "unliveable" mansion for $8.5 million

<p dir="ltr">Comedian Andy Lee has invested in the ultimate fixer-upper, after dropping $8.5 million on a run-down Melbourne mansion that has no bathroom or kitchen.</p> <p dir="ltr">The home, located in the inner-east suburb of Hawthorn, was built around 1876, making it one of the oldest homes in the area, and sits on almost 2000 square metres of riverfront land. Sitting empty for three decades, the Italianate manor had fallen into a state of disrepair, with damaged walls, floors, and ceilings, as well as no bathroom, kitchen, power, or plumbing.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lee paid $8.5 million for the property, well above its price guide of $7 to $7.7 million and well above the median price for homes in Hawthorn, which is around $2.52 million. It was sold through Antony Woodley and Mike Beardsley of Jellis Craig Fitzroy back in October after less than three weeks on the market, but both sale price and buyer remained unconfirmed until emerging on public records on Monday.</p> <p dir="ltr">The two-storey home cannot be knocked down, so Lee and partner Rebecca Harding, will have their work cut out for them! The home has high ceilings throughout, Baltic pine floorboards, open fireplaces, a slate roof, and an arched hallway, with three rooms on the ground floor and four bedrooms upstairs.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Woodley had previously<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/victoria-property-news-historic-mansion-without-a-kitchen-or-bathroom-hits-the-market-with-asking-price-of-almost-8-million/1ee026f5-77b2-4eec-9091-70821f4ca17a" target="_blank">told 9News</a><span> </span>that the home’s history and the large riverfront land holding commanded the high price tag. He added, “It gives you that magnificent Victorian facade. People will work with that and the accommodation the home provides and then look to create some contemporary accommodation moving forward.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Lee cohosts the<span> </span><em>Hamish &amp; Andy<span> </span></em>podcast with longtime comedic partner Hamish Blake, and recently published a new children’s book, the latest in his<span> </span><em>Do Not Open This Book<span> </span></em>series. He also hosted the comedy panel show<span> </span><em>The Hundred<span> </span></em>on Channel Nine.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Jellis Craig Fitzroy</em></p>

Real Estate

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Australia’s "worst house" back on the market after incredible makeover

<p>The property that was declared “Australia’s worst house” in 2015 is back on the market with a brand new look.</p> <p>The original cottage was put on the market in 2015 and was deemed unsafe, unliveable and was literally falling to pieces.</p> <p>However, due to the location of the property, which is in Brisbane’s most sought-after inner-city suburbs in Dutton Park, bidders weren’t put off by the look of the <span>dilapidated </span><span>home</span><span>.</span></p> <p>The house was sold for $668,000, which was a whopping $170,000 over the reserve price.</p> <p>Ray White Stones Corner agent Gunther Behrendt sold the house to new owners Rina and Ryan Zlatkin. Behrendt said:</p> <p>“As you can appreciate, just to get the property off the land was a hell of a process.</p> <p>“It’s been an amazing journey for the owners and what they’ve been able to create is something to be very proud of.”</p> <p>Mother-and-son duo Rina and Ryan Zlatkin said that they had a vision for the property and wouldn’t stop until it was completed.</p> <p>“My son and I were stood outside this completely unliveable shack, with all its collapsed ceilings and termite infestation, but all we could see was our vision of a beautiful family home in its place.”</p> <p>The finished product is a Hamptons-style house, which Rina worked on with a local architect to ensure that the home suited their lifestyle but still complimented the character of the street.</p> <p>The house features five bedrooms, three bathrooms and two car spaces.</p> <p>“We put blood, sweat and tears in to building something that makes us feel genuinely warm and happy on the inside. It was worth every minute we spent on it.”</p> <p>However, as the Zlatkin's youngest son was accepted into a university in Melbourne, the whole family are moving and unfortunately don’t get to enjoy the work they put into their new home.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery to see the incredible before and after transformation of the home.</p>

Domestic Travel

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This Australian city could soon become “unliveable”

<p><span>As heatwave records get broken around Australia, climate scientists warn that one Australian capital city may soon become unliveable as conditions worsen.</span></p> <p><span>A combination of debilitating humidity mixed with climate change could make Darwin off-limits for the average Aussie.</span></p> <p><span>Shockingly, surface temperatures in parts of Darwin’s CBD have been recorded approaching 70C.</span></p> <p><span>Regional cities in Queensland are not far behind.</span></p> <p><span>Towards the end of November, Darwin locals were anticipating the end of the “build-up”, the hot and sticky weather that precedes the wet season.</span></p> <p><span>Earlier this year, the Bureau of Meteorology warned that this year’s build-up would be “brutal”.</span></p> <p><span>“Everything is hotter than normal," said the Bureau’s Greg Browning.</span></p> <p><span>Australian National University’s Dr Elizabeth Hanna, an expert on the effects on climate change on health, told news.com.au that Darwin’s tropical humidity made conditions especially difficult for locals.</span></p> <p><span>“We can cope with much higher temperatures in Melbourne because the air is drier, but in Darwin the high temperatures and humidity are oppressive.</span></p> <p><span>“If it gets worse, those unpleasant times of the year [like the build-up] will extend longer and longer making it not a viable place to live," she said.</span></p> <p><span>Professor Mattheos Samtamouris from the University of NSW is working on a project funded by the NT government to research how Darwin’s heat can be managed.</span></p> <p><span>“The focus is often on the global impact of climate change, but we also need to understand what is happening at a local level, in our own cities," Prof Samtamouris said.</span></p> <p><span>“If we can’t find a way to make our cities cooler, they will eventually become uninhabitable.</span></p> <p><span><span>“We need to evaporate and sweat to cool down but when temperatures get close to or above our core temperature, and when humidity is high, the air becomes saturated and we’re not going to lose that sweat so our cooling mechanism is hampered,” said Dr Hanna.</span></span></p> <p><span>In August, the Northern Territory Government introduced a project to identify where Darwin’s hot spots were and what was causing them.</span></p> <p><span>The heat mitigation study used a dedicated “energy bus” and drones to measure air and surface temperatures.</span></p> <p><span>“The study found our streets, parking lots, roofs and pavements have very high surface temperatures, ranging from 45-67C,” said Chief Minister Michael Gunner at the time.</span></p> <p><span><span>“Areas such as the Post Office carpark, the Supreme Court car park, and the Bus Terminal are incredibly hot — Cavenagh Street (a CBD thoroughfare) is a river of fire.”</span></span></p> <p><span>Professor Samatamouris explained that Darwin was a prime example of a city that used materials in roads and buildings that turbocharged temperatures.</span></p> <p><span>“Black surfaces like bitumen absorb high amounts of solar radiation, leading to high surface temperatures,” he said.</span></p> <p><span>“A material with a temperature of about 70C may heat the air by around 3C.”</span></p> <p><span>Alternative materials such as “cool” asphalt can bring surrounding temperatures down.</span></p> <p><span>“In Darwin, you have overheating because there’s too much bitumen and not enough greenery."</span></p> <p><span>The study will continue for another year and the Government has already said it will bury one of the major carparks to reduce its impact on air temperatures. </span></p> <p><span>Do you live in Darwin? What measures do you take to keep cool in the soaring heat? Tell us in the comments below. </span></p> <p><em>Image credit: UNSW</em></p>

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