Burning questions series: A decision-maker’s guide to heat and health

This guide presents the Burning Questions Series: A decision-maker’s guide to heat and health, produced to answer key policy-relevant questions addressed in the forthcoming report Extreme heat and health: Global evidence for action. It synthesizes global evidence on the health impacts of extreme heat, vulnerability, climate attribution, future heat hazards, effective interventions, governance, economic costs, occupational health, indoor heat, and heat-health surveillance

The guide finds that extreme heat affects nearly every organ system, disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations, and is already causing substantial mortality, morbidity and economic losses that are projected to increase under future warming scenarios. It highlights the effectiveness of Heat-Health Action Plans, Heat-Health Warning Systems, surveillance systems, equitable access to cooling, occupational protections, improved housing and urban planning, and stronger governance. The authors recommend integrating heat-risk management into health systems, strengthening data and mortality surveillance, investing in adaptation and mitigation, prioritizing vulnerable populations, and expanding evidence-based heat-health policies and financing mechanisms.