Let's name dangerous heatwaves.

Heat kills. Dangerous heatwaves are responsible for more Australians deaths than extreme floods, bushfires and cyclones combined.

Extreme heat stresses the body, triggering heatstroke, dehydration, and cardiovascular strain. The most vulnerable–our grandparents, our parents and small children–are also the most at-risk in extreme heat.

And thanks to climate change, it has never been hotter. The last 11 years were the hottest ever recorded. Now, if we don’t stop burning coal and gas, heatwaves will become longer, hotter, more frequent and more dangerous.

Could cyclones hold a key to solving our heat health crisis?

In 1964, the Bureau of Meteorology started naming cyclones to improve communications and public safety. It worked. There have been fewer Australian cyclone deaths in the past six decades than there are heat fatalities every year.

It’s time to name our most deadly type of extreme weather. By naming dangerous heat, we will turn the temperature down and save Australian lives.