Week 11
50°C Climate, Heat and Resilience Climate Summit

50°C: Climate Summit, a showcase of student-designed solutions to tackling extreme heat in Western Sydney.
The student-led event was the final stage of the Powerhouse 50°C: Climate, Heat and Resilience program, bringing together almost a thousand Year 9 and 10 students from nine participating Western Sydney NSW Department of Education schools in Term 1, 2025.
The projects presented at the 50°C summit were a remarkable demonstration of student climate action and community leadership. Students at Doonside Technology High School proposed measures that included increasing tree canopy cover from 12% to at least 30%, improved shading and the creation of a dedicated cooling area on the school’s basketball courts. At Seven Hills High School, students began planting trees to shade their basketball courts. Students at James Ruse Agricultural High School took a more technology-driven approach, designing a solar-powered cooling solution for their school’s grandstand, while students at Arthur Phillip High School devised an integrated proposal that combines solar power, heat-reflective building materials and living green walls to create a cooler and more energy- and water-efficient school environment. Other projects included proposals for retractable shade sails at The Ponds High School and the rollout of water-misting stations at Macarthur Girls High School and The Ponds.
Students also explored strategies aimed at supporting communities through better information and education. At Doonside, for instance, students focused on strengthening community resilience by developing messaging in Farsi, Tagalog and Sāmoan about how to prepare for and manage heat, while students at Macarthur Girls created social media strategies to increase public awareness of the effects of heat on health. Macarthur Girls students also wrote stories inspired by thermal camera images of their school.
Student Projects
Event Information
50°C Climate Summit
Inspired by the 50°C: Climate, Heat and Resilience program, students celebrated their achievements throughout the program at the 50°C Climate Summit, hosted by Western Sydney University on 11 April 2025. Students had the opportunity to share their projects with key decision-makers, academics and industry.
10am–2pm
Western Sydney University Parramatta
Sir Ian Turbott Auditorium