Extreme heat resilience

OUR APPROACH

Advancing local and global heat resilience

Extreme heat kills more people than any other climate disaster each year, and negatively affects nearly every human activity and society worldwide. At the Atlantic Council’s Climate Resilience Center, our team co-designs, tests, and deploys solutions to mitigate the health and socio-economic impacts of extreme heat.

We address the widespread impacts of extreme heat through our holistic, innovative approaches. We work with communities and partner organizations to drive local solutions with global impact. Through our work and pilots, we build the evidence base to inform and inspire leaders around the world to act.

The Climate Resilience Center collaborates with governments, international and community-based organizations, and frontline communities to reach 500 million people with heat resilience solutions by 2030. 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The #HeatSeason Campaign

The Climate Resilience Center’s #HeatSeason Campaign raises global awareness around the impacts of extreme heat and the solutions that protect people. The campaign is translated into 5 languages of assets and are available for use by governments, organizations, and individuals around the world.

Explore the Heat Season campaign

HOW WE WORK

Raising awareness and driving community impact

Explore our solutions to learn how our center builds resilience to extreme heat

The Climate Resilience Center works to communicate the impacts of extreme heat and develop actionable, scalable responses to it. Our interventions are designed to improve lives, protect livelihoods, and expand opportunity for the people faced with the devastating impacts of climate change. We bring deep expertise to equip public officials, practitioners, and organizations with the tools, knowledge, and resources they need to adapt to and mitigate the health, economic, and social impacts of extreme heat.

Old man splashes water from a fountain on his face.

We build the evidence base and raise awareness.

The impacts of extreme heat are still underestimated. While the research into this critical threat is growing, cities need the tools to build the business case for investing in heat resilience. Our team expands the evidence base by identifying and filling data gaps, and creating campaigns and platforms to make heat a priority in communities, organizations, and governments around the world.

Silhouette of children playing in public fountain during sunset.

We mobilize global networks for heat action.

Through our community of Chief Heat Officers, our City Champions for Heat Action initiative, and as founder of the Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance (EHRA), our center advances innovation in heat governance. These forums break down siloes between sectors and government departments. They kickstart international conversations on extreme heat and advance on-the-ground action that protects people and communities.

A Chinese woman shows a thermometer, the reading of which exceeds 40 degrees Celsius on Gongjilou Square in Zhangjiakou city, north China's Hebei province, 13 July 2015.

A heat wave pushed temperatures to above 40 degrees Celsius in some northern and central parts of China on Monday (13 July 2015). The China Meteorological Administration said temperatures hit 35 degrees Celsius in 14 provinces and municipalities, while parts of North China recorded temperatures of 41 degrees Celsius. The hot weather will continue until Wednesday.

We create innovative, on-the-ground solutions.

We drive impact by piloting and scaling solutions. From our work on health-based early warning systems to our Urban Farming Initiative, we develop the tools, policies, and projects that build heat resilience, with a focus on frontline communities.

OUR SOLUTIONS