Heat, Health, Housing reflecting on gaps and opportunities in a changing climate

The devastating impacts of climate change are growing notably in urban areas.
Last year was the hottest in modern history and its impact is very real: energy shortages, school closures, health services congestions and disruption of critical services notably in urban areas.
Often called the ‘silent killer,’ heatwaves have claimed thousands of people in recent years, and although they are frequently the deadliest disasters, there is a large gap in awareness, planning and action to reduce heatwave impacts.
Failing to acknowledge the impact of extreme heat is resulting in inadequate preparedness for current and future heatwave risks. Unfortunately, the most vulnerable such as older people, young children, people living in slums and informal settlements, outdoor workers, people with pre-existing health conditions hit hardest. This level of heat is associated with severe health impacts and stress to economies and infrastructure.
As the frequency and intensity of heatwaves continues to rise it is crucial to reduce near- and long-term heat risk through proactive actions such as strengthening early warning systems, heat action planning, urban greening and urban planning.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre together with their partner ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) have taken several initiatives on heat actions in 2024. For instance – Heat Action Day on June 2nd has rallied a world-wide awareness initiatives resulting in hundreds of flashmobs, school-led events, creating interventions and social media campaigns on Heat action involving thousands of RCRC volunteers and countless urban communities.
Identification of heat hotspots in cities, notably in Honduras, Indonesia, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Nepal, to support the respective municipal authorities and other emergency service providers in determining the heat thresholds, indicating ‘when to act’ and ‘where to act’ before or during the heatwave days has been critical.
In this event, the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and partners will discuss the practical steps undertaken and emerging lessons to inspire action at scale. Furthermore, this session will showcase how city networks are advancing Heat Action Plan at municipal level. From a City Heatwave Guide to cooling centers, from school-level adaptation to climate-proofing of homes, participants will discuss the tools/approaches and practices emerging from the humanitarian practitioners, researchers as well as heat-health promoters. The CHANCE network will share insights on the risk perception and research gaps in understanding the impacts of extreme heat on health.The lead organisations will bring example of work done by municipal authorities in two cities in Tanzania (COCHAP programme on coastal cities and extreme heat) as a step forward towards realizing the RCRC Movement’s goal of protection for 250 million people from heat in 150 cities.