Women’s Climate Shock Insurance Initiative: Piloting an Early Heat Warning System

Project Partner: Climate Resilience for All, Summer 2024

Project Summary: Extreme heat is disproportionately affecting women and vulnerable communities globally. For instance, women in Peshawar, Pakistan, report constant illness from heat due to lack of access to clean water. They also suffer from sleepless nights inside hot and crowded dwellings because cultural norms require women to stay indoors while men can sleep outside in cooler conditions.

Xiaofei partnered with Climate Resilience for All to assist women in Pakistan and India in preparing for extreme heat, by piloting an early heat warning system and corresponding actionable guidance tailored to local climate and cultural conditions. She conducted literature reviews on early heat warning systems across the globe and a case study on the Heat Health Warning in Germany, covering the full process consisting of forecasting, warning dissemination, action guidance, and evaluation methods.

Xiaofei created a case study report and communication slides that guide the future design of a warning system and support fundraising. This work provides a solid base for developing a gender-equitable early heat warning system in the Global South.

An interactive map created by Xiaofei documenting the existing early heat warning systems, most of which are built in the Global North.

Project Deliverables:

  • Interactive Map of existing early heat warning systems: Heat Health Warning Systems
  • Report: Case study of Germany’s Early Warning Systems (Internal document)
  • Communication slides: Literature Review: Early Warning Systems (Internal document)

 

Watch Xiaofei’s URBAN Internship lightning talk here.

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