How does extreme heat affect remote Indigenous communities?

Extreme heat can make life harder for remote Indigenous communities, just like when you leave your ice cream out in the sun too long, it melts!

Remote Indigenous communities are people who live far away from big cities, often on lands that have been home to their families for a very long time. These places might be in the desert, the bush, or near the sea, and they can get really hot during summer.

Imagine your kitchen oven is turned up all the way, that's how it feels when there’s extreme heat. The sun beats down on everything: homes, food, and even water. Sometimes, people don’t have air conditioning or fans like you might have at home. So it gets really uncomfortable, especially for little kids, elders, and animals.

When the weather is that hot, sometimes people can't go to school or work as easily. It’s also harder to grow food, crops might not do well in the heat. That means there's less food to eat, and sometimes people have to travel far to get water or supplies.

But just like how you find ways to enjoy your melted ice cream, these communities are finding smart ways to stay strong through the heat too!