Australia is officially home to the world's most 'liveable' city, Melbourne, but according to a new study, global warming and associated rising temperatures could affect the country's liveability in the near future.
Research carried out by the Australian National University has found that temperatures could soon reach 50 degrees Celsius in Melbourne and Sydney, regardless of whether or not the targets set out by the Paris Climate Change Agreement are met.
As part of the agreement, Australia committed to reducing its emissions by 26 to 28 per cent in comparison to 2005 levels by 2030. But even this may not prevent 50-degree temperatures from setting in.
Lead author of the study and climate scientist Dr Sophie Lewis explained: "One of the hottest years on record globally - in 2015 - could be an average year by 2025.
"Major Australian cities, such as Sydney and Melbourne, may experience unprecedented temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius under two degrees of global warming.
"The increase in Australian summer temperatures indicates other major cities should also be prepared for unprecedented future extreme heat."
Experts have said that while these rising temperatures will most certainly be felt and may make conditions uncomfortable, they won't make Australia's major cities uninhabitable.
Although meteorological data indicates that Australia's average temperature has only increased by one degree Celsius since 1910, the latest statistics from the Bureau of Meteorology show that the heat between June and August this year was 1.9 degree above the long-running average of 21.8 degrees for this time of year.
This marked the hottest winter on record for the country and indicates that temperatures could continue to rise further in the future.
Dramatic rises in temperature could change the business and tourism landscape down under, with property investors perhaps more likely to make more money from holiday homes leased for the short term than permanent residences if the temperature does indeed continue to increase.
