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Heat wave: HERA launches the heat science hotline

Published

2 months ago

April 2, 2026

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

Related Topics:Climate.Dr. Wellenius Featured HERA

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Bullet sounds boom as election approaches

Published

2 days ago

June 11, 2026

News Diggers

Tension gripped Osogbo, Osun State capital, on Tuesday following violent clashes between supporters of the ruling Accord Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), which left one person dead and two others injured.

The incident, which occurred in several parts of the city, also triggered heavy gunfire that sent residents fleeing for safety in panic as security operatives and political supporters allegedly exchanged shots in different locations.

The injured victims were rushed to the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital and other private medical facilities in the state capital for treatment.

Eyewitnesses said the violence began around 1:30pm when a convoy allegedly conveying APC supporters moved through parts of the city, including Akoda and Aisu junction. The movement was said to have sparked a confrontation with some Accord Party supporters, escalating into shooting.

Gunshots were later reported in areas including Owode, Aisu, Olaiya, Oke-Fia, Government House axis, and Old Garage, throwing the state capital into confusion as residents scampered for safety.

It was further gathered that security operatives attached to the convoy allegedly fired shots sporadically in an attempt to disperse attackers at Aisu junction and other flashpoints, further heightening tension across the city.

Reacting to the violence, Governor Ademola Adeleke described the attacks as “unprovoked and outrageous,” alleging attempts to destabilise the state. He called on the National Security Adviser, Inspector General of Police, Department of State Services (DSS), and other security heads to intervene urgently, especially after visiting victims at the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital and other health facilities.

Adeleke also accused unnamed political actors of sponsoring violence, claiming that recent months had seen repeated attacks targeting members of the Accord Party across the state. He further alleged that security agencies had not acted decisively to arrest perpetrators.

According to him, earlier reports of violence also emerged from Ile-Ife, particularly the Sabo area, before spreading to Osogbo and Ede.

“The attackers in a 15-vehicle convoy branded with AMBO pictures further launched attacks at Owode. They then proceeded to Olaiya, Old Garage, Oke-Fia and even around Government House,” the governor alleged.

He appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and caution political actors allegedly linked to the unrest, insisting that elections must be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the Accord Party chairman, Pastor Victor Akande, also condemned the violence, calling on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate the incident and alleging the involvement of the APC governorship candidate, Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji.

Security agencies had yet to issue an official statement on the incident at the time of filing this report.

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Criminals, not bandit killed army officer- Police

Published

2 days ago

June 11, 2026

News Diggers

The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed that five persons, including a soldier and a local hunter, died during a violent attack in Magbon Etido, Mowe, in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state.

In a statement issued in Abeokuta on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the incident was an “isolated criminal attack” and not a bandit operation as speculated in some quarters.

According to the command, the attackers struck the community, killing a soldier who was on security duty and injuring another military personnel, who is currently receiving treatment.

The assailants also abducted four residents during the raid. Babaseyi said police operatives, working alongside the military and other security agencies, immediately launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation.

He added that one of the abducted victims was rescued alive, while the remains of the other three were later recovered during the operation.

During the subsequent bush-combing exercise, a local hunter assisting security operatives was reportedly killed in an encounter with the fleeing suspects.

“The Command extends its condolences to his family,” the statement said, while assuring that efforts were ongoing to track down the perpetrators and prevent further attacks.

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2027: North rules out Tinubu, says policies on economy highly disappointing

Published

3 days ago

June 10, 2026

News Diggers

The National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Prof. Tukur Mohammed-Baba, has said President Bola Tinubu has lost considerable political goodwill in Northern Nigeria since the 2023 general election, citing worsening economic conditions and insecurity.

Mohammed-Baba made the remarks during an interview on PrimeTime on Arise Television on Monday, where he criticised the country’s political leadership and expressed disappointment over the lack of clear policy direction from major political actors ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

According to him, the North has become increasingly disillusioned with the political class, which he accused of prioritising personal ambitions over the welfare of citizens.

“I have not seen a party that articulates a clear policy ambition or an ideological standard. The average northern voter is disillusioned and has been for a long time,” he said.

“We have tried all kinds of permutations—northern candidates, Muslim-Muslim tickets, and so on. It seems to the average northerner that all this politics is about personalities and personal interests. It is not about people.”

Assessing Tinubu’s administration, Mohammed-Baba said the impact of government policies had been difficult for many Nigerians.

“The impact of his policies on the economy and especially on individual lives has been highly disappointing, if not disturbing,” he said.

He also expressed concern over the security situation across parts of the country, arguing that the government’s response had fallen short of expectations.

“Furthermore, the insecurity thing, no matter what the government says, is getting worse,” he said, noting that discussions around the deployment of forest guards had come only after renewed attacks in parts of the country.

Mohammed-Baba warned that communities increasingly resorting to self-help in the face of insecurity posed a threat to the authority of the state.

“We are gradually normalising self-help—that unless you do something, the government will not be there to protect you. That undermines the essence of the role of the state,” he stated.

The ACF spokesman also criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, describing him as a “recurring decimal” in Nigeria’s presidential politics.

“I don’t see anything from him that presents an alternative apart from saying this government has failed,” Mohammed-Baba said. “Where is the beef?”

On Peter Obi, he argued that the former Anambra State governor had failed to sustain whatever political goodwill he enjoyed in the North before the 2023 elections.

“He has moved to two or three parties. The question we ask is: what does he want?” he said.

Mohammed-Baba further criticised Obi’s running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, over comments he said appeared to compare himself with revered northern figures such as Ahmadu Bello and Aminu Kano.

“In the North, that is very irreverent. It would be highly delusional for him to go that far and say he presents an alternative,” he said.

“An alternative in terms of what? Has he articulated anything on the economy, security, or infrastructure? When you keep talking about things in abstract terms that run counter-intuitive to what the people have held on to, you will run into trouble.”

Asked to identify a potential presidential aspirant capable of winning northern support ahead of 2027, Mohammed-Baba declined to endorse anyone.

“We are waiting to see,” he said.

He also cautioned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against complacency, warning that attempts to weaken opposition parties through defections and legal battles could backfire.

“Nothing fails like success. Be very careful, because sometimes complacency can spring surprises,” he said.

Mohammed-Baba rejected suggestions that the North remained a unified voting bloc capable of determining election outcomes on its own.

“No one region can determine on its own the outcome of a presidential election, and the North has never been able to do so alone, outside of military rule,” he said.

With rising fuel prices, increasing numbers of out-of-school children and persistent attacks by bandits in parts of the North-West, Mohammed-Baba maintained that Nigerians were searching for leaders with practical solutions to the country’s challenges.

“Is there anybody offering an alternative now?” he asked. “I don’t see anything.”