In the U.S. and much of the world, extreme heat is the leading weather-related cause of death. While there is not a single definition of what constitutes extreme heat, there is a range of solutions working in communities around the world to save lives. As this problem intensifies, there are opportunities to expand effective interventions to prepare for the dangers of a hotter world. On April 11th, The Center for Disaster Philanthropy hosted It gets hotter every year: How to proactively fund the heat crisis to share strategies for donors who want to meet this challenge head-on. CDP’s Director of Learning and Partnerships, Tanya Gulliver-Garcia, moderated the discussion with Joseph Karanja, Bill Anderson Fellow, Teaching Assistant at Arizona State University and Board Member on Urban Environment, American Meteorological Society; Braden Kay, Program Manager, Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program, California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research; and Nidhi Upadhyaya, Deputy Director, Global Policy and Finance, Adrienne-Arsht Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center. Below are a few highlights from the conversation.

Understanding Extreme Heat

Extreme heat doesn’t have a single definition. Because structural, physical, and social factors influence how heat is experienced, “extreme heat” means different things in different places. Joseph highlighted “dry vs wet heat, heat acclimation, and social divisions” as key determinants of how heat is experienced. Donors need to understand what extreme heat looks like in the context where they wish to engage. It is also vital to realize how different communities within an area are impacted by extreme heat.

Who Is Vulnerable?

Heat does not impact people equally. Those who are made vulnerable by physical or societal factors are most at risk. Marginalized people still feel the impact of redlining when it comes to disproportionate heat risk. Other groups that must be considered include: 

  • Older adults 
  • People with preexisting health conditions 
  • Homeless people 
  • People with occupational exposure 
  • Women 
  • People using drugs 
  • Athletes and people participating in outdoor recreation 

Advice for Funders

Donors can play a key role in helping communities prepare for and respond to the impacts of extreme heat.

Support Existing Work

Donors do not have to start from scratch. As Braden pointed out, “there is some level of extreme heat work already happening in the communities that you're going to be working in… It's important for us to talk about meeting the work where it's at as opposed to starting brand new work.” Finding out what work is already being done by your local government and community organizers is the best way to figure out where your contributions can help.

Collaborate

Your work may complement the work that is already being done in your community, but you can also directly support the work of the government or NGO. Nidhi emphasized the significance of supporting government efforts, like Chief Heat Officers (CHOs), to make a difference:

CHOs work to coordinate city activities on heat. But also identify opportunities for action and catalyze new work on heat. They are the local champion on this issue. They draw public awareness of the threat and they implement long-term heat risk reduction and cooling projects.

She encouraged donors who want to support this work to “look at partnering with their city to split the CHO for maybe a one- to three-year period.” 

Consider Other Hazards 

Extreme heat disproportionately impacts vulnerable and marginalized groups - and so do other hazards. Considering how to help these groups prepare for multiple hazards is an efficient way to make a difference. Joseph urged funders to “come up with a solution that could be scalable to different locations and to different hazards.” He also pointed out that heat sometimes coincides with other hazards: “We tend to have the wildfire season in tandem with the heat hazard season.” Keeping this in mind will help to ensure that the solutions you support are practical. 

Watch the full webinar and access the related resources: It gets hotter every year: How to proactively fund the heat crisis.