Impacts in Australasia: ‘I just couldn’t breathe.’
Melbourne, Australia • Australasia
Rising temperatures have led to a rising number of wildfires across the globe. In 2020, Dalila Jakupovic, Slovenian tennis player, crumpled to the ground during a first-round qualifying match of the Australian Open.
“I just couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t walk so I just went down (onto the floor) because I couldn’t stand up straight,” she recalls.
The tennis tournament was held in Melbourne, and the air quality was reported to be “moderate to hazardous” at the time due to smoke from bushfires burning 16 million acres of Australia. Jakupovic eventually had to withdraw from the match.
The Australian bushfires created massive amounts of smoke, affecting millions of people’s health. The smoke was so significant, it drifted all the way to South America. As global temperatures continue to rise, it’s expected that wildfires similar to those in Australia will become more frequent and intense.
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“I just couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t walk so I just went down (onto the floor) because I couldn’t stand up straight.”
—Dalila Jakupovic
Slovenian tennis player
1.6 Earths is the equivalent of what humanity is currently using, and ecosystems cannot keep up with our demands
~13 million people’s lives are lost each year from environmental factors
1.1°C greater increase in global temperature than in the 1800s
By integrating human rights within climate solutions, we can develop inclusive mitigation and adaptation strategies.