Communicating heat risk: Experiences from C40's Cool Cities Network
This document is a summary of the conversations and materials shared by C40’s Cool Cities Network working group of seven North American C40 cities: Boston, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Toronto and Washington DC. The aim of this working group was to convene technical climate adaptation staff and communications advisors from Cool Cities Network members in the North America region to discuss best practices for communication responses to intense heat events. Conversations between cities not only covered ways to generally communicate about heat risk, but also how COVID-19 and associated city interventions could impact a city’s heatwave response initiatives and community outreach.
The conversations highlight a number of recommendations such as: Using existing channels and local messengers; Diversifying communication channels; Highlighting environmental injustice; Connecting heat events with climate change; Fostering collaboration between communications professionals and technical heat/adaptation experts; and piggybacking on existing public outreach programmes. Case studies across different cities further illustrate the variety of heat risk communication methods.
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