The United States government announced on Tuesday a new strategy to protect communities in the country, affected by the extreme heat wave that affects a large part of the planet, as a result of the climate crisis.
“The situation is alarming and requires a whole-of-society response to ensure that communities have the support they need to plan for, prepare for, and recover from these extreme weather events, which are costing the US billions of dollars each year.” The White House said in a statement.
As part of the strategy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will establish two virtual research centers to “help manage and improve resilience to extreme heat.”
These will have an investment of 5 million dollars, as part of a historic package of laws, approved by the US Congress and signed by the president last August, which will allocate a total of 430 billion dollars to face the challenge. of climate change.
Coordinated through the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS), these centers will help provide technical assistance and
locally adapted and actionable information, useful so that “historically marginalized and underserved communities” can better prepare for waves of extreme heat.
In addition, President Joe Biden’s administration will develop a National Heat Strategy focused on “environmental equity and justice,” aligned with his strategy for Regional Climate Resilience Challengeannounced last June, for which it will allocate some 575 million dollars to help vulnerable communities.
Finally, the White House called on leaders, climate activists, and lawmakers to participate in the upcoming Summit on Climate Resilience and Sustainability in Affordable Housing, which will focus on reducing the impact of extreme heat and other climate change phenomena on American communities in low income.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heat exhaustion or heat stroke, among other heat-related illnesses, occur when the body cannot cool itself properly.
They warn that the effects of a heat stroke can be suffered without being directly exposed to the sun and point out that humidity, especially in places without access to air conditioning, can also cause illness.
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