Giving Compass' Take:

• Eli Reiter at YES! Magazine discusses how cities can combat the rising heat waves and COVID-19, all at the same time. 

• We have the capacity to fight climate change. What role can you play in ensuring available resources are applied to the problem effectively? How is your charitable giving focused on strengthening climate resilience? 

• Here's what COVID-19 can teach us about tackling climate change. 

Labor Day Weekend usually signals the end of summer, but this year, it seems like the record heat isn’t ready to release its grip quite yet. Another heat wave is on its way, signaling how our climate is changing. Almost all of California, along with southern Nevada, western New Mexico, and even eastern North Carolina are under “excessive heat warnings” from the National Weather Service through the long weekend. Temperatures are expected to be as much as 22 degrees Fahrenheit above the averages for this time of year, increasing the risk for wildfires, power outages, and heat-related illness.

“Extreme heat can be deadly, especially for vulnerable populations,” says Melissa Baldwin, program manager for Florida Clinicians for Climate Action, adding that “coronavirus is shining a light on existing inequities and health outcomes.”

The compounding threats of heat and isolation have been laid bare this summer thanks to COVID-19. Many elders are stuck inside, and those experiencing homelessness are stuck outside—both facing heat exposure, many of them alone.

As the Trump administration’s actions threaten public health and safety, cities and states are finding new ways to keep their residents cool and safe this summer and beyond.

Though it gets far less attention than other disasters, heat is the greatest weather-related killer, surpassing the number of fatalities from hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods.

Read the full article about climate change and COVID-19 by Eli Reiter at YES! Magazine.