Extreme heat, whether in the form of rising long-term average temperatures or punctuated by heat waves, is a global health threat that is clearly exacerbated by a changing climate. With more than 80 percent of Americans living in urban areas, and over half of the world’s population living in urban areas, a focus on understanding, mitigating, and adapting to extreme heat in cities is becoming a high priority.

On November 12, CPO's Hunter Jones joined more than 30 urban climatologists, architects, planners, and emergency management & public health practitioners to address an estimated 200 audience members, in New York City for the symposium: “Extreme Heat: Hot Cities – Adapt­ing to a Hot­ter World”.

He opened the symposium with a keynote on global, national, and local trends in extreme heat, as well as NOAA’s role in addressing the problem--the development of the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS). During the symposium, he discussed research supported by every Climate Program Office program that contributes to understanding and addressing extreme heat.

The meeting was developed by the Design for Risk and Recon­struc­tion Com­mit­tee (DfRR) of the Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects New York Chap­ter (AIANY). The meeting was all about increasing resilience to extreme heat, sharing knowledge with stakeholders in a multidisciplinary setting, and learning about their needs.