Small heat resilience measures: Big impact in small towns and on small businesses in India

This document highlights how simple, low-cost heat resilience measures — such as shade, ventilation, drinking water access, and flexible work timings — are helping street vendors, artisans, women workers, and informal businesses reduce heat stress and income loss. It brings together frontline voices, data-driven insights, and policy reflections to provide a holistic overview.

Drawing on field experiences from 11 Indian towns, the publication shows that early, locally led cooling actions can prevent health impacts, protect livelihoods, and reduce long-term loss and damage. The results demonstrate that small resilience measures can deliver big impact when supported by timely finance, inclusive governance, and people-centred planning.