Extreme heat is the deadliest climate hazard globally—and its impacts extend far beyond human health. It strains power grids, disrupts food systems, weakens critical infrastructure, and threatens entire economies. Yet the people racing to respond—decision-makers and frontline communities alike—often face a fundamental barrier: a lack of quick access to actionable, locally grounded science. This divide can cost lives, livelihoods, and the systems that sustain both.

Today, HERA (formerly Climate Resilience for All) is addressing this burning need with the launch of the Heat Science Hotline—a free, rapid-response service connecting policymakers, community organizations, journalists, and donors directly to a multidisciplinary board of leading global heat, climate, and health experts – including a midwife, an architect, a meteorologist, an epidemiologist and a data scientist.

Through the Hotline, users receive responsive, evidence-based direct advice tailored to their specific projects and contexts—helping to translate complex science into practical decisions when and where it matters most.

“We are in a global heat emergency, and the people working hardest to respond are doing so half-blindfolded,” said Kathy Baughman McLeod, founder and CEO of HERA. “The science exists. The expertise exists. The Heat Science Hotline makes both visible and transforms that disconnect by grounding solutions in the best available science.”

A Global Board with Diverse Expertise

The Heat Science Hotline is powered by a growing board of experts working across six continents, with most members based in the Global South. The board is co-chaired by Neha Mankani of the International Confederation of Midwives, and founder of the Mama Baby Fund in Pakistan, and Gregory Wellenius, environmental epidemiologist, professor, and Director of the Center for Climate and Health at Boston University.

“Working with women and babies during extreme heat, I’ve seen what happens when policy does not reflect frontline realities,” said Mankani. “Integrating evidence with practitioner insight from these settings is essential to delivering better outcomes for babies and families.”

The board will bring their expertise spanning urban planning, climate science, conservation, data science, epidemiology, public health, gender equity, social impact, and thermophysiology.

“The breadth of expertise is deliberate,” said Dr. Wellenius. “No single discipline can capture the full complexity of heat risk and resilience. Looking at problems from multiple perspectives allows us to identify what might otherwise be missed—a cooling center plan that overlooks the distinctive needs of seniors, women, or families, or an urban greening initiative that fails to build heat resilience in an equitable manner.”

Designed for Positive Impact

Making projects and policies more effective means understanding the different ways heat affects people and our built environment. The Hotline centers vulnerability and lived experience—including geography, gender, age, occupation, and health status—so that insights and guidance reflect real-world complexity and lead to better outcomes.

“One of the biggest challenges in building heat resilience is turning insight into action under pressure. Approaches that make practical support more accessible can help close that gap,” said Jess Ayers, CEO of QCF.

This is especially critical where bias persists. Women’s vulnerability to heat, for example, is well documented but rarely reflected in interventions like heat warning systems. The skills and expertise of the Hotline will reduce the effects of this bias.

“As GAYO expands across Uganda, Ghana, Botswana, and through project work in Kenya, Senegal, Mali, Madagascar and South Africa, we need access to the strongest possible science and evidence to respond to the scale of the challenge communities are facing,” said Betty Osei Bonsu Adjei , Director, Operations & Programs, Green Africa Youth Organization. “The Heat Science Hotline will be a critical tool for us, helping to ensure that our solutions are grounded in sound science and shaped by the realities people are experiencing now. Young people are already leading climate action across Africa. With the right expertise at our fingertips, we can move faster, design better, and better support communities to respond to both the urgency and the opportunities of this moment.”

How the Heat Science Hotline Works

While there isn’t an actual telephone, users can submit questions online and receive tailored responses for specific projects and policies. The Hotline:

Identifies effective interventions—from cooling infrastructure and early warning systems to nature-based solutions—grounded in the latest evidence

Translates intersectional science into clear, actionable guidance for decision-makers and non-technical audiences

Navigates funding and policy processes, including shaping proposals that reflect heat impacts and equity considerations

Pinpoints localized impacts and risks by identifying the populations, geographies, and systems most exposed

Goes beyond generative AI, with human experience and multidimensional perspectives

The Hotline catalogs all answers and learnings to share knowledge publicly