Up to 15,000 Australians could die from heat stress each year, says the Australian Medical Association (AMA), as the focus continues on climate change.
Australia has just recorded its hottest year on record, and the AMA believes tropical diseases such as dengue fever could spread as far south as Sydney and impact severely on Queensland.
"Climate change is the 1000-pound gorilla hiding in the cupboard for Queensland," says Australian Conservation Foundation executive director Don Henry, noting that the state is among the world's highest per capita emitters of greenhouse gases.
Environment Minister Desley Boyle agrees the threat from climate change is real, saying current drought patterns are linked to the global event.
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