Emma Howard Boyd CBE’s Post

Extreme heat on three continents. Elections on all continents (barring the poles) and not a lot about climate and climate induced and exacerbated extreme heat. So it’s to cities and unions and community leaders and environment organizations to raise the alarm, make people aware of the danger of the silent killer and get prepared. Then we will need to redesign the way we live in cities. This will be on the to do list for governments even if this years election cycle ignores the danger. I discuss all of this with BBC #Radio4. Climate Resilience for All Emma Howard Boyd CBE https://lnkd.in/eFx52qH3

By 2050, heat waves will affect more than 3.5 billion people worldwide with great risks to cities, according to a 2023 study commissioned by the Arsht-Rock Resilience Center. Earlier this month, I wrote about an innovative heat insurance program co-led by Project Dandelion partner SEWA, which is running a pilot through April 2025, and has already provided support for more 46,000 women so that they could avoid toiling in the sun during heat waves. Women leaders like Emma Howard Boyd CBE (Vice Chair, Climate Resilience for All), Kathy Baughman McLeod (CEO, Climate Resilience for All) and Reema Nanavaty (Sewa International), are the allies the world needs to enact solutions in these dangerously hot times. Read on to learn about their work, and the work of chief heat officers around the world, who are taking critical action in their respective cities. #ProjectDandelion #womenleadclimate #heatwave #extremeheat #publichealth #climateadaptation

We need to talk about heat, the silent killer. In his superb book, The Heat Will Kill You First, Jeff Goodell opens with a painful description of a young couple taking their baby for a hike on a hot day and never making it back. They’d started early and brought water but, as the sun rose over the unshaded rocks, the temperatures became fatal. The beloved TV doctor Michael Mosley seems to have died in similar circumstances, apparently losing his way in the heat on a Greek island and collapsing. An awful way to go. I only met him once but I’ll never forget his infectious humour and energy. This morning I read about the deaths of three more tourists in Greece, just in the past week. Reuters quotes Petros Vassilakis, the police spokesman for the Southern Aegean: "There is a common pattern - they all went for a hike amid high temperatures.” Delhi is enduring its longest heatwave and descriptions of life there for the many who can't afford air-conditioning are horrific. A number of officials died of heat exhaustion during the recent elections. At the same time there’s a warning about athletes competing in the Olympic Games in Paris this summer: https://lnkd.in/eCCvUYnm The city’s average temperature has risen by a degree since the games were last held there in 1924 but the average for July and August is up by more than three degrees. So what can be done? This ‘consensus statement’ by the International Olympic Committee – IOC offers some fascinating discussion of the latest research: https://lnkd.in/eZU3UHiE Here are some recommendations that caught my eye: -      Careful monitoring of heat and humidity in the ‘fields of play’ ie not at some weather station nearby. -      Making sure there’s a plenty of ice. As much as two tonnes a day can be needed. -      Allowing more breaks for hydration. -      Consider making events shorter. -      Setting up misting systems especially for fans. -      Provide as much shading as possible. -      Make sure spotters and video cameras keep watch for signs of overheating. I’ve got a personal stake in this. The son of old friends will be rowing for Team GB and I’ll be in the crowds cheering him on. Dr Candice Howarth Emma Howard Boyd CBE Andy Love Saffron O'Neill Kate Goldman-Toomey