The Global Heat Health Information Network is an independent, voluntary, and member-driven forum of scientists, practitioners, and policy makers focused on improving capacity to protect populations from the avoidable health risks of extreme heat in our changing climate.
The solution-based network promotes the sharing of resources, learning, and information to enhance technical and science based decision tools to better manage heat risks, and encourages collaborative learning and partnership building between members to accelerate good practice.
Our Vision
Improved capacity of professionals, organizations, and governments to protect populations from the preventable health impacts of extreme ambient heat.
- The network aims to create a common space to promote evidence-driven interventions, shared-learning, co-production of information, synthesis of priorities, and capacity building that can empower multi-disciplinary actors to take more effective and informed life-saving preparedness and planning measures.
- It seeks to be a catalyst, knowledge broker and forum for facilitating exchange and identifying needs of the most vulnerable.
How We Work
The Network brings together the work and progress of its members to create a holistic picture of the needs, science and strengths to:
- rapidly scale up efforts to manage the complex human health risks introduced by extreme and increasing ambient heat;
- harmonize and improve information and opportunity sharing across the burgeoning local communities of health professionals, decision makers and scientists motivated to address this issue.
Activities
The Network’s activities help improve the capacity of governments, organizations, and professionals to protect populations from the avoidable health risks of extreme ambient heat. Members and the wider public benefit from ongoing activities, including:
- Biennial Global Forum on Heat and Health
- Learning and Exchange Events: masterclasses, dialogues, regional events and trainings
- Synthesis reports and resources on heat health via our website, including inventories of Heat Health Action Plans and case studies; COVID-19 and Heat Guidance;
- Communications: News, information and social media, Global Heat Health Digest, publications
5 Pillars of Integrated Heat Health Action
Our Networks’ 5 Pillars of Integrated Action support coordinated information and action to reduce the impact of heat on health worldwide.
5 Pillars of Integrated Heat Health Action
Pillar and Rationale Network Role Priority Issues
1. Partnerships and Capacity Building
To address the multifaceted and multidimensional risks extreme heat poses for health, building capacity to develop and drive diverse partnerships from global and local levels is critically needed. The Network supports interdisciplinary capacity building and collaboration at local to global levels, including through human and institutional training opportunities, inter-institutional and interdisciplinary coordination and partnerships.
Tool tip
Find out more: <a href="http://ghhin.ctclients.ca/opportunities/">visit our current learning opportunities.</a>
- Institutional capacity;
- Partnerships;
- Training;
- Coordination models
2. Heat Vulnerability and Impact Science
Data, science, and research are needed to understand the health risks of heat in our changing climate. The Network supports actions (methods, data, research) that enhance knowledge on human vulnerability and impacts of extreme ambient heat, including heat impact metrics, surveillance systems, research and operational systems for monitoring and modelling heat-health risks, research and knowledge gaps.
Tool tip
Find out more about heat and health
- Vulnerability studies;
- Impact metrics and surveillance;
- Impact Thresholds;
- Epidemiological Studies;
- Physiological studies;
- Cascading environmental risk modelling;
- Research gaps
3. Heat Prediction and Services
Accurate and timely climate and weather information is necessary to enable effective decision making and action to protect health and save lives. The Network supports actions (research, methods, and observations) behind the data, forecasts, and information required for operational heat risk monitoring and prediction across timescales, including epidemiological impact forecasting; Urban Heat Island monitoring and modelling; and operational early warning systems.
Tool tip
Find out more about when and where heat is dangerous, and how it's measured and monitored.
- Observations;
- Forecasting;
- Heat Indices/Impact;
- Forecasts;
- Heat Health;
- Early Warning Systems;
- Urban Climate/UHI
4. Interventions
Appropriate interventions in multiple sectors can prevent heat exposure and negative health outcomes. The Network is developing an intervention framework and repository to facilitate evidence-based decision making for public health.
Tool tip
Find out more about what actions can be taken to manage and adapt to heat in various contexts here.
- Intervention Framework;
- Prevention;
- Preparedness;
- Mitigation;
- Evaluation
5. Communications and Outreach
Effective risk communication and outreach play a key role improving awareness of the risk that hot weather poses to human health, wellbeing, and productivity worldwide. The Network supports the identification of key messages and good practices for increasing awareness and communicating heat health risks to diverse audiences and various audiences including clinical medicine, public health, urban planning, academia, and meteorology.
Tool tip
Find out more about advocacy and risk communications for heat health.
- Advocacy;
- Risk Communication;
- Advisory Systems;
- Evidence based Messages;
- Good Practices
| Pillar and Rationale | Network Role | Priority Issues |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Partnerships and Capacity Building To address the multifaceted and multidimensional risks extreme heat poses for health, building capacity to develop and drive diverse partnerships from global and local levels is critically needed. | The Network supports interdisciplinary capacity building and collaboration at local to global levels, including through human and institutional training opportunities, inter-institutional and interdisciplinary coordination and partnerships. Tool tip Find out more: <a href="http://ghhin.ctclients.ca/opportunities/">visit our current learning opportunities.</a> |
|
| 2. Heat Vulnerability and Impact Science Data, science, and research are needed to understand the health risks of heat in our changing climate. | The Network supports actions (methods, data, research) that enhance knowledge on human vulnerability and impacts of extreme ambient heat, including heat impact metrics, surveillance systems, research and operational systems for monitoring and modelling heat-health risks, research and knowledge gaps. Tool tip Find out more about heat and health |
|
| 3. Heat Prediction and Services Accurate and timely climate and weather information is necessary to enable effective decision making and action to protect health and save lives. | The Network supports actions (research, methods, and observations) behind the data, forecasts, and information required for operational heat risk monitoring and prediction across timescales, including epidemiological impact forecasting; Urban Heat Island monitoring and modelling; and operational early warning systems. Tool tip Find out more about when and where heat is dangerous, and how it's measured and monitored. |
|
| 4. Interventions Appropriate interventions in multiple sectors can prevent heat exposure and negative health outcomes. | The Network is developing an intervention framework and repository to facilitate evidence-based decision making for public health. Tool tip Find out more about what actions can be taken to manage and adapt to heat in various contexts here. |
|
| 5. Communications and Outreach Effective risk communication and outreach play a key role improving awareness of the risk that hot weather poses to human health, wellbeing, and productivity worldwide. | The Network supports the identification of key messages and good practices for increasing awareness and communicating heat health risks to diverse audiences and various audiences including clinical medicine, public health, urban planning, academia, and meteorology. Tool tip Find out more about advocacy and risk communications for heat health. |
|
Background
The Network was initiated in June 2016 by experts from over a dozen founding institutions, following repeated calls for harmonization and improvement of our common understanding and decision tools for the management of the health risks of extreme heat and rising temperatures. The Network officially launched with a call to action in December 2018 at the First Global Forum for Heat and Health. It is spearheaded by the World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization Joint Office for Climate and Health, and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Our Members
Diverse expertise and perspectives: Our members self-select, enhancing active inclusion of a broad range of organizations and professionals from around the world.
Compatible motivation: The mission and values of our members are expected to be compatible with the Network vision.
Scientific integrity and shared principles: Members are encouraged to uphold scientific integrity and principles of good public health practice.
This includes organizations and professionals from:
- Government agencies
- Academic institutions
- International organizations
- Professional associations
- Non-governmental organizations
- Private-sector boundary institutions
- Individuals in relevant fields
Steering Committee
Joy Shumake-Guillemot
World Health Organization (WHO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Juli Trtanj
US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Hunter Jones
US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Kristie Ebi
University of Washington
Shubayu Saha
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Emer O’Connell
Public Health England
Kim Knowlton
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); and Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Patrick Kinney
Boston University School of Public Health
Virginia Murray
Public Health England
Dileep Mavalankar
Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar
Chao REN
University of Hong Kong
Julie Arrighi
American Red Cross
Rupa Kumar Kolli
Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)
Hannah Nissan
Columbia University
Glenn McGregor
Durham University
Yolanda Clewlow
United Kingdom Met Office
Andreas Matzarakis
Research Centre Human Biometeorology, German Meteorological Service, Freiburg
Sari Kovats
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Founding Partners
Global Forum on Heat and Health
The biennial Heat Health Forum is an international multi-stakeholder platform to build community and accelerate the transformation of knowledge to action that can help society better adapt to a warmer world.