Cooler cities: Action to reduce extreme urban heat risk
use · risk finance · heatwave
Cities are at once our greatest opportunity and our greatest risk and extreme heat is one of the deadliest global hazards. With 18 of the 19 hottest years on record occurring since 2001, climate change science suggests that temperatures will continue to rise. Carbon emissions, unplanned growth, poor land-use decisions, environmental degradation, impervious surfaces, and migration to cities are compounding vulnerability. In urban areas, where heat island effects occur, localized temperatures today can reach 2-7 degrees higher than in adjacent areas. Exposure to heat hazards, a silent killer, is particularly high among the estimated 1.5 billion people living in slums worldwide, communities that have fewer resources and coping mechanisms – such as education and social cohesion – to reduce their exposure to heat. The purpose of this Focus Day event will be to explore early strides towards a risk and finance facility to address extreme heat.
Organizer: Global Resilient Cities Network
Partner Organizations: Arsht – Rockefeller Foundation Center for Resilience, Red Cross, City of Chennai, SwissRE, CCRIF