Supporting Heat Resilience in Rural Communities
Chronic heat and extreme heat events present complex challenges for the U.S. Southwest. While much attention has focused on how cities are addressing heat risks—through mitigation strategies like urban forestry and cool corridors, or management efforts such as cooling centers—there has been far less focus on rural, tribal, and border communities. These communities face distinct vulnerabilities and often operate under different governance structures and different access to resources. The objectives of this research are to document heat impacts in rural, tribal, and border communities; explore existing and emerging governance strategies for rural heat resilience; and collaborate with community partners to develop practical solutions to heat-related issues.
CLIMAS Lead: Ladd Keith
Research Team: Erika Austhof, Heidi Brown, David DuBois, Anne-Lise Boyer, Minwoo Ahn, Kaitlyn Wolfe
Partners: National Integrated Heat Health Information System, NOAA - National Weather Service, Arizona Department of Health and Human Services, New Mexico Department of Health, Global Heat Health Information Network
Publications
The contribution of physical exertion to heat-related illness and death in the Arizona borderlands
Chambers, S. N., Boyce, G. A., Martínez, D. E., Bongers, C. C. W. G., & Keith, L. (2023). The contribution of physical exertion to heat-related illness and death in the Arizona borderlands. Spatial and Spatio-Temporal Epidemiology, 46, 100590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sste.2023.100590
Media
Researchers from this project participated in 8 television interviews, 5 radio appearances, 3 podcast appearances, and 25 print media interviews. Selected examples include:
Davidson, Osha Gray. “The Heat is On.” Sierra: The Magazine of the Sierra Club. June 21. 2023.
Bundock, Sally. “Extreme heat around the world.” BBC News. July 19, 2023.
Too Damn Hot - and Getting Hotter: Dealing With Extreme Heat. Governing. July 21, 2023.
Gass, Henry. “As extreme heat rises, so do concerns for worker safety.” The Christian Science Monitor. August 3, 2023.
Nilsen, Ella. “Extreme heat is the deadliest natural disaster. FEMA can’t treat it like one.” CNN. August 8, 2023.
Levinson, Kaitlyn. “When every minute counts: Dashboard maps emergency response to extreme heat.” Route Fifty. August 18, 2023.
Parsons, Doug. “Climate Change and Extreme Heat End of Summer Episode with Dr. Kelly Turner and Dr. Ladd Keith.” America Adapts: The Climate Change Podcast. September 11, 2023.
Smith, Craig. “Heat maps help plan cooling efforts.” KGUN9 News. September 11, 2023.
Coggin, John Dos Passos, Melissa DeFrancesco, Gillen Curren, and Amber Liggett. “Heat governance scholar Ladd Keith’s collaboration with NOAA.” U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. September 27, 2023.