Climate change and Indigenous housing performance in Australia: A modelling study

A rapidly warming planet provides a significant challenge to the design, delivery, and maintenance of habitable housing across Australia. Information on the adequacy of current measures for cooling Indigenous houses in regional and remote communities in relation to climate change and rising energy consumption costs is lacking. Such information is needed to better protect low socio-economic status householders, people with pre-existing health conditions, and people living in climatically exposed regions. This article models the thermal performance of both existing and 'improved' (built to current national construction code standards) housing stock in relation to various occupancy density, cooling system, and ventilation practice scenarios. This modelling was undertaken for housing in Australia's tropical, arid, and hot/mild climate zones, matching the sites where most discrete Indigenous communities are located. Results show that retrofitting existing housing stock and even building new stock to meet recommended standards are not adequate measures for current or future climate changes. This paper challenges current knowledge, policy, and practices regarding Indigenous housing, demonstrating that significant reform is necessary to maintain habitable conditions and improve energy resilience. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A rapidly warming planet poses a significant challenge for Indigenous housing in Australia. This article models the thermal performance of Indigenous housing in different regions and finds that retrofitting existing housing or building new housing to current standards is insufficient for climate change adaptation. Significant reform is necessary to improve habitable conditions and energy resilience for Indigenous communities.