At the start of summer 2023, the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability launched a first-of-its-kind program in the United States to address the effects of extreme heat on human health and well-being. The Heat Policy Innovation Hub brings together Duke scholars, government agencies, communities and other stakeholders to develop and deploy heat policy solutions that could ultimately save lives.
Early projects of the hub include the following:
- An April report that offered recommendations to state emergency managers across the US for adequately evaluating the threat of extreme heat in federally mandated hazard mitigation plans;
- Ongoing collaboration with state and local agencies in North Carolina to create a template for county-level comprehensive heat action plans;
- A July policy brief that outlined a comprehensive strategy for state high school athletics associations to ensure the health and well-being of student-athletes as they train and compete in high temperatures; and
- Educational resources, such as an infographic on cooling strategies (available in English and Spanish) and a wet bulb globe temperature explainer, to help people stay safe.
Throughout a record-breaking hot summer, insights from Ashley Ward (the hub’s director) and Jordan Clark (a postdoctoral associate) on the dangers of extreme heat and policy responses were featured in hundreds of media outlets around the world. Among the most notable were the following: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, NBC News, FOX Weather, The Guardian, and BBC News. Ward has also authored op-eds on the necessity of air conditioning for vulnerable populations, effective heat mitigation strategies when A/C is unavailable, and the difficulties of counting heat-related deaths.