USAID and Red Cross to organise virtual ‘Global Summit on Extreme Heat’ today

USAID, an independent agency of the United States government primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance, will organise a virtual ‘Global Summit on Extreme Heat’ on March 28, along with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), according to a statement.

The summit, to start at 8:30 AM Eastern Time (United States), “will bring together leaders and changemakers from across the world to discuss solutions and strategies to protect communities and workers from extreme heat”, the statement added.

The year 2023 was the hottest on record. It coincided with deadly heat waves on nearly every continent, from Pakistan to Tunisia to Texas.

“Climate experts predict that extreme heat events will continue to increase in frequency, resulting in more lives lost and an increase in risk of other climate disasters such as drought and wildfires,” the statement noted.

USAID Administrator Samantha Power, IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain will be joined by leaders in innovation from across the world, to try and discuss how to lessen the impact of extreme heat events, increase climate preparedness, save lives and mitigate costs.

In 2022, Down To Earth (DTE) reported on why heatwaves are becoming longer and more frequent. One major factor behind this is the trapped greenhouse gases caused by human activities.

Read

• 2023 warmest year on record
• What are Western Disturbances? How do they impact rain and snowfall in India?
• Explained: Why heatwaves are becoming longer, more frequent
• State of India’s Environment in figures: India recorded 280 heat wave days across 16 states in 2022 — most in decade
• After snowless December and January, March and April to rain fire on north India: Experts
• Why cities are hiring dedicated officials to prepare for extreme heat

South Asia is particularly vulnerable to extreme heat. The State of India’s Environment in figures 2022 brought out by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi and DTE showed that India recorded 280 heat wave days across 16 states in 2022 — the most in a decade.

Earlier this year, experts also told DTE that the ‘arid winter’ in the Himalayas will be followed by heatwaves in March and April.

Indeed, many global cities are hiring ‘dedicated heat officials’ to prepare for more heat in the future, DTE reported in 2022.

CSE believes that India can achieve ‘sustainable cooling’ by fully utilising knowledge of the ‘cooling web’. It lays emphasis on utilising traditional knowledge used to cool Indian houses over generations.

Meanwhile, the virtual summit will be livestreamed by USAID and is open to the public.