As part of the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, the Mexican Red Cross, together with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, aims to promote an integrated approach to disaster risk management, improve access to flood and heatwave early warning systems and strengthen the climate change approach in the humanitarian sector. Mexico is […]
Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance in Mexico Read More »
Extreme heat is the deadliest climate hazard — yet it remains the least governed. This policy brief, produced by the IFRC Climate Centre in partnership with University College London, presents findings from an analysis of heat-related urban governance across 83 coastal cities in the Global South. The central finding is stark: despite rapidly escalating heat
This collection brings together four community-level research studies examining how urban populations perceive, experience, and respond to extreme heat. Published in late 2025, the studies were conducted as part of the Coastal City Resilience and Extreme Heat Action Project (CoCHAP) — a joint initiative supported by National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the American
Community Heat Risk Perception Studies: Honduras, Indonesia, and Tanzania Read More »
This series of guidance notes presents evidence-based communication strategies for protecting vulnerable communities from extreme heat, drawing on heat risk perception surveys conducted across five cities: Choluteca and San Lorenzo (Honduras), Surabaya and Medan (Indonesia), and Tanga and Unguja (Tanzania). Across all contexts, surveys consistently identify older adults, outdoor workers, pregnant women, people with pre-existing
Evidence-Based Communication Strategies for Protecting Communities from Extreme Heat Read More »
Jacobabad, Sindh, is a city defined by its extremes. Known historically as one of the hottest inhabited places on Earth, summer temperatures here frequently soar beyond 50°C (122°F). For decades, this heat was treated as an unavoidable fact of life a “normal phenomenon.” However, beneath this stoic acceptance lay a tragic reality: every year, the
A Shield Against the Sun: The Story of CDF and Jacobabad’s Heatwave Revolution Read More »
As temperatures rise, so do risks to workers. Heat Stress at Work examines how extreme heat affects workers across sectors, particularly those in high-exposure roles or due to existing inequalities and vulnerabilities. It analyses workplace practices, regulatory settings and economic pressures that influence risk, and highlights consequences for health, productivity and business continuity. This report
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What does extreme heat risk look like in everyday life? This place-based case study explores how heat manifests in an urban context through a systems lens, examining the interconnected roles of housing and urban development, the natural environment, health, at-risk populations, workplaces and schools, disaster risk management and early warning systems, energy and critical infrastructure,
Strengthening resilience to extreme heat – an Adelaide case study Read More »
Extreme heat is Australia’s deadliest natural hazard — yet it often goes unseen. This report examines heat risk through the intersection of hazard, exposure, vulnerability and capacity, showing how impacts emerge across health, infrastructure, livelihoods and essential services. It clarifies key concepts — including extreme heat, heatwaves and urban heat islands — and explains Australia’s
Understanding Extreme Heat and Entry Points for Action Read More »
Heat through a systems lens. Credit: Australian Red Cross. Extreme heat is Australia’s deadliest natural hazard — yet it remains largely invisible, normalised, and under-addressed. This Post-Event Review Capability (PERC) on extreme heat presents a comprehensive, systems-based analysis of how heat risk is shaped, experienced, and managed in Australia. Rather than treating extreme heat as
Extreme Heat Risk in Australia: Insights from the PERC Read More »
At a Glance Extreme heat becomes a disaster when it overwhelms the systems people rely on — housing, health, infrastructure, ecosystems, and social services. Heat impacts do not occur in isolation but often cascade across sectors. Disruptions in one system (especially energy and critical infrastructure) can quickly trigger failures in others, amplifying harm and disruption.
Beyond Individual Risk: Why Extreme Heat Demands a Systems Response Read More »