An intense heat trough over the country’s north-west may bring Australia’s first observation of 50-degree temperatures in 17 years, forecasters say.

Lightweight, but also strong and easy to work with, timber enables faster construction times.

More than 30 mayors and councillors across Australia say they are “exhausted by the immediate costs and challenges” of recent natural disasters and have written to the government calling for stronger climate action.

The clean-up has begun after a severe hailstorm on Thursday battered parts of NSW, making whole neighbourhoods look like snowfields.

Antonio Guterres says the “naive optimism” of the Glasgow talks is colliding with a failure to deal with climate, as scientists grapple with global heat waves.