For philanthropic donors, as of just a few years ago, climate change-related issues may have appeared to be a problem for the future. But the recurrence of extreme heat and other natural disasters around the world has brought the issue to the forefront.
The world is still not doing enough to reach the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement’s target to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius — and the need for climate preparedness and adaptation has become clear. As such, philanthropists can jump in now to help alleviate irreversible and deadly consequences from upcoming heat waves and help cities or countries be ready for inevitable natural disasters.
Earlier this month, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy convened a seminar with Braden Kay, program manager of the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program of the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research; Nidhi Upadhyaya, deputy director of global policy and finance of the Adrienne-Arsht Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center; and Joseph Karanja, Bill Anderson Fellow, teaching assistant at Arizona State University and board member on urban environment of the American Meteorological Society.