The July 2021 heatwave in the Pacific Northwest of the US and Canada shattered temperature records, led to hundreds of excess deaths and scientists found it would have been virtually impossible without climate change. The latest IPCC AR6 report makes it clear that extreme heat is affecting all land areas and it’s here to stay, regardless of emission reductions, and will get markedly worse without reductions. The urban heat island effect only amplifies these realities in cities where the most vulnerable people also experience highly differential impacts. And yet, heat remains an “under-the-radar” hazard that does not get the same level of attention or funding as other, more eye-catchingly deadly, hazards like floods or typhoons.
The session will focus on 1. Understanding heat risks in cities, 2. Assessing the barriers to action, 3. Exploring adaptation options and ways to incentivize heat protective actions in cities.
The event takes places 9 November 2:30 PM-4:00 PM GMT/Glasgow time (3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CET)
Speakers:
● Dr. Kris Ebi – University of Washington
● Dr. Jana Sillman – CICERO Center for International Climate Research, (EXHAUSTION)
● Dr. Adelaide Lusambili – Aga Khan University, CHAMNHA project
● Dr. Abhiyant Tiwari – Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management
● Amy Davison, City of Cape Town
Moderator:
Roop Singh, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
Register for the event here.
The event is part of the Development and Climate Days held during the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and organised by a partnership of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre (RCCC), International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) and Zurich Flood Resilience Network.
This session is co-hosted by Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and CICERO Center for International Climate Research.