Nearly 150 organizations in 40 states endorsed a list of policy recommendations for extreme heat released Tuesday by the Federation of American Scientists, with signers ranging from medical associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics to worker advocacy groups such as the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.
The agenda, aimed at state and local officials in the U.S., includes a database of 400 policy approaches aimed at protecting people from dangerous temperatures. The recommendations include creating a chief heat officer position within local governments, establishing 24-hour cooling centers and setting heat standards for outdoor workplaces.
The State and Local Heat Policy Agenda was released on the heels of a blistering heat wave affecting more than half the U.S. that toppled more than 100 temperature records, sent heat illness rates skyrocketing and killed at least 25 people. FAS is a nonprofit think tank that aims to use science and technology for public policy solutions.
“As America celebrated its 250th anniversary this past weekend, over 185 million Americans — over half the population — were under an extreme heat alert,” said Hannah Safford, FAS’s associate director of climate and environment, in a statement. “The State and Local Heat Policy Agenda helps communities adapt to this new normal, by providing easy access to the solutions that science shows can effectively curb the worst impacts of dangerously hot temperatures.”
