Heat adaptation and place: experiences in South Australian rural communities

Abstract

Exposure to extreme heat is a familiar seasonal experience for many rural communities across Australia, which is projected to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change. This has wide-ranging implications for community health and well-being, livelihoods, recreation, and the natural and built environments. In this study, we have examined how rural and remote communities in South Australia experience and respond to extreme heat, and how this is influenced by physical, social and psychological aspects of place. Interviews with participants across different climatic regions of South Australia were analysed using a broad thematic framework that included physical aspects of place, human activities, social and community aspects, and relationships with place; providing a descriptive account of heat impacts and responses. We further suggest that some narratives expressed the construction of a rural or remote identity, with climate being a part of this relationship; suggesting that place identity may be a subjective aspect underpinning appraisals of extreme heat. We discuss the implications for adaptation choices in a warming climate.