KATHY BAUGHMAN McLEOD, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOININGS.

THIS HAS BEEN AN EXCEPTIONALLY HOT SUMMER.

MOST PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES, ACROSS THE EASTERN SEABOARD CERTAINLY HAVE FELT THAT.

BUT IN EUROPE, IT'S BEEN MUCH MORE ACUTE.

THERE ARE RESEARCHERS THAT ESTIMATE THAT THERE WERE IN EXCESS OF 14,000 DEATHS ACROSS THE SIX HARDEST HIT COUNTRIES IN EUROPE, AND THAT'S JUST THIS HEATWAVE FROM JUNE, JULY THIS YEAR.

YOU'VE CALLED THIS A MASS CASUALTY EVENT.

AND YET WE'RE NOT REALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO IT.

>> THOSE NUMBERS ARE STAGGERING, AND YET WE DON'T QUITE HAVE OUR ARMS AROUND IT.

AND WE DON'T HAVE THE SENSE OF ALARM AND ACTION THAT'S NECESSARY TO SAVE LIVES.

AND I THINK A LOT OF QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ASKED ABOUT WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES TO EXTREME HEAT, AND WHY DO WE NOT CARE MORE THAT THEY ARE GONE, AND WHAT CAN WE DO TO PREVENT MORE PEOPLE FROM DYING FROM EXTREME HEAT.

>> SO WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE TO MAKE THESE NUMBERS GO UP?

>> SO THAT NUMBER YOU REFERENCED IS CALLED ALL CAUSE MORTALITY.

SO THE BEST WAY WE HAVE TO MEASURE WHO HAS DIED FROM HEAT IS TO SEE AN INCREASE IN THAT NUMBER WHEN THE WEATHER IS PARTICULARLY HOT, WHEN THE CONDITIONS ARE REALLY HOT.

SO THAT EXCESS DEATH WE ACCOUNT FOR IF WE HAD LET'S SAY FOYER HUNDRED PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF X DIE EVERY DAY, AND THEN DURING THESE HEAT EVENTS, LET'S SAY ONE IN PARTICULAR OVER TWO OR THREE DAYS YOU HAD 600 PEOPLE DIE PER DAY, YOU WOULD ACCOUNT FOR THOSE DEATHS AS EXTREME HEAT.

WE'RE NOT SOPHISTICATED YET ENOUGH TO SAY EXACTLY THESE PEOPLE DIED FROM HEAT.

AND PART OF THAT IS THAT THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH SYSTEMS AREN'T LOOKING FOR IT, AND THERE'S NOT A STANDARD TRAINING THAT SAYS IS THIS A HEAT-RELATED DEATH, COULD THIS HEART ATTACK -- AND WE KNOW THE HEART WORKS REALLY HARD DURING EXTREME HEAT, COULD THIS HEART ATTACK BE HEAT-ADRENALINE.

WHAT ABOUT RENAL FAILURE?

THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS DRIVEN BY THIS.

AND MEDICATIONS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, CONTRAINDICATED FOR HEAT.

SO WE'VE GOT TO GET OUR HEAT LITERACY UP ACROSS ALL OF OUR SYSTEMS, ESPECIALLY IN THE HEALTH SYSTEM.

>> SO WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HEAT AND HOW IT AFFECTS THE HUMAN BODY?

DOES IT BREAK DOWN DIFFERENTLY ACROSS GENDERS?

DOES IT BREAK DOWN DIFFERENTLY ACROSS CLASS AND ACCESS TO CAPITAL OR POVERTY?

>> YES AND YES, YES AND YES.

SO GENDER WISE, WOMEN ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY PHYSIOLOGICALLY IMPACTED BY HEAT.

THAT'S BECAUSE OUR SWEAT RATES ARE LOWER.

THAT'S BECAUSE OUR THERMOREGULATION IS AFFECTED BY HORMONAL FLUCTUATIONS, PREGNANCY, MENOPAUSE.

AND SOCIO-ECONOMICALLY, POVERTY IS A HUGE DRIVER OF HIGHER IMPACTS OF HEAT.

COSTS THROUGH LOSS OF INCOME IN THE INFORMAL SECTORS, 60% OF WORKERS IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR ARE WOMEN, AND WE ARE SEEING MENTAL HEALTH EFFECTS FROM HEAT.

AND THERE IS A RISE IN GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE.

PEOPLE GET ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED.

AND SO IT SHOWS UP IN HIGHER CRIME RATES.

IT SHOWS UP IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HARM TO WOMEN AND KIDS.

IT'S SHOWING UP AS MORE VISITS TO THE HOSPITAL.

IT'S SHOWING UP AS MISCARRIAGE, PRETERM BIRTH, AND STILLBORN BABIES.

IT'S GOT IMMENSE IMPACTS, AND IT DOES NOT AFFECT PEOPLE EQUALLY.

AND PEOPLE WORKING OUTSIDE, PEOPLE WITHOUT LIKE INFORMALITY, PEOPLE WORKING WITHOUT LAWS THAT PROTECT THEM AND THEIR HEALTH FROM THE HEAT, PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSTRUCTION WORKER, LAW ENFORCEMENT, PEOPLE OUTSIDE WHO ARE OR ARE IN PARTIALLY COOLED SPACES, WAREHOUSES OR DISTRIBUTION OR FULFILLMENT CENTERS, FARM WORKERS, IMMENSE DISPROPORTION OF EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY TO HEAT DRIVEN BY POVERTY AND BY SOCIO- ECONOMIC FACTORS.

>> YOU FOUNDED AN ORGANIZATION CALLED HERA, HEAT RESILIENCE ACTION.

I WONDER, YOU FOCUS SPECIFICALLY TO TRY TO PROTECT WOMEN FROM EXTREME HEAT.

YOU ALSO INCREASE HEAT LITERACY ACROSS THE BOARD.

BUT WHY SPECIFICALLY FOCUS AROUND WOMEN?

>> WOMEN PUT 90% OF WHAT THEY MAKE BACK INTO THEIR COMMUNITY AND INTO THE ECONOMY.

MEN PUT 40%.

SO JUST ON A RETURN ON INVESTMENT FACTOR, IT'S A GREAT IDEA.

IT JUST MAKES SENSE.

THE OTHER REASONS ARE THAT WOMEN ARE CARING FOR CHILDREN AND ELDERS.

SO THIS IMMENSE CARE BURDEN THAT WOMEN HAVE, THEY DON'T GET PAID FOR IT, AND IT'S --IT'S BEEN QUANTIFIED IN THE HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF FREE SERVICE TO COMMUNITIES AND FAMILY.

THAT SERVICE TAKES WOMEN OUT OF THE WORKPLACE AND OUT OF THE PAID ECONOMY.

SO A FEW EXAMPLES.

SO WOMEN IN PAKISTAN IN ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS, THEY ARE NOT BY CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS DICTATES, THEY CAN'T SLEEP OUTSIDE ON THE PORCH OR OUTSIDE WHERE THE AIRFLOW IS.

THEY HAVE TO SLEEP INSIDE.

AND SO MEN AND BOYS ARE ON THE FRONT PORCH, AND WOMEN ARE INSIDE JUST ROASTING.

I WANT TO SAY THAT WOMEN WORKING OUTSIDE AND EXPOSED TO THE HEAT ARE EXPERIENCING URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS, RASHES THAT DON'T GO AWAY, HEADACHES, DIZZINESS, MISCARRIAGE.

WE'RE LEARNING MORE AND MORE ABOUT MENSTRUAL HEALTH, THAT HEAT HAS A HUGE EFFECT ON MENSTRUATION.

THE HEAVIER FLOW OR THE FREQUENCY WITHIN THE CYCLE OR HOW LONG IT LASTS.

AND THAT TAKES GIRLS OUT OF SCHOOL.

AND SO WHEN WOMEN ARE SET BACK, THE WORLD IS SET BACK.

AND SO WE FOUNDED HERA SPECIFICALLY TO FOCUS ON WOMEN AND THEIR HEALTH, THEIR INCOME, AND THEIR DIGNITY, BECAUSE THEY ARE THE KEY TO OUR FUTURE, AND ALL OF THE DATA SHOWS US THAT, AND THE STORIES OF THE WORK WE DO AND THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE CODELIVER WITH WOMEN BACKS THAT UP.

AND IT'S JUST GOOD FOR EVERYBODY.

>> YOU FOCUS A LOT ON WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

AND MANY OF THOSE WOMEN ARE PART OF THE LABOR POOL, RIGHT.

THEY DO WORK IN GARMENT FACTORIES, AND THEY DO DOMESTIC WORK, OF COURSE.

THEY'RE STREET VENDORS.

THEY ARE WORKING IN THE FIELDS IN AGRICULTURE.

IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT THAT TYPE OFS WORK OR THAT PART OF THE ECONOMY THAT IS MORE SENSITIVE TO HEAT THAN IF --OBVIOUSLY IF THEY HAD A JOB IN THE WHITE DOLLAR SECTOR, THEY'RE LIKELY TO WORK IN AN OFFICE THAT HAS AIR CONDITIONING.

>> YES.

AND ONE OF THOSE REASONS IS THAT THE DEVELOPING WORLD DOES NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONING AT THE RATES WE DO.

AND AIR CONDITIONING CUTS BOTH WAYS IN TERMS OF AN INSTANT COOLING AND ALSO A CONTINUATION AND EXACERBATION OF THE DRIVERS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING.

AND SO IN THE PLACES WHERE WE WORK, THERE IS NO EXPECTATION THAT AIR CONDITIONING IS COMING.

WE'RE WORKING TO DELIVER PASSIVE COOLING SOLUTIONS AND FANS THAT ARE POWERED BY SOLAR.

AND SO WHAT ARE THE CLEAN WAYS FOR US TO COOL PEOPLE?

AND THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF WAY.

NATURE IS A HUGE COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION FOR COOLING.

BUT SPECIFICALLY FOR PEOPLE AND IN OUR FOCUS AND WOMEN, THOSE JOBS LIKE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, WASTE RECYCLERS, MARKET VENDORS, HEAD LOADERS, PEOPLE THAT CARRY THINGS ON THEIR HEAD FROM ONE END OF THE MARKET TO THE OTHER, ALL ABSOLUTELY EXPOSED AND OF COURSE, AS YOU HAVE ALREADY SAID, O- ECONOMIC ALLY VULNERABLE.

OUR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES ARE BEING SET BY THIS.

BECAUSE HEAT IS INVISIBLE AND SILENT, IT'S STILL NOT REALLY RECOGNIZED.

AND SO MANY WOMEN ARE LOSING --IN OUR COMMUNITY WE WORK WITH ACROSS INFORMAL MARKET TRADERS IN FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE, THEY'RE LOSING 60% OF THEIR INCOME TO HEAT.

THAT MEANS THEY FEEL SICK DISPROPORTIONATELY.

THEY'RE TAKING CARE OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK, AND WHAT THEY'RE SELLING, LET'S SAY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, MEATS, THEY'RE GOING BAD BEFORE THEY CAN SELL THEM.

THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO COLD STORAGE TO KEEP EXTENDING THE LIFE OF WHAT THEY'RE SELLING.

AND THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO A GOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM.

AND WHAT WE FOUND IS IF WHEN THEY DO HAVE GOOD ACCESS, THEY'RE ABLE TO CHANGE WHAT THEY BUY.

THEY MIGHT REDUCE WHAT THEY BUY SO THEY HAVE LESS LOSS OF THEIR INVENTORY TO THE HEAT.

AND SO, AGAIN, THERE ARE SOLUTIONS, BUT WE'RE STILL --THIS FIELD IS IN ITS INFANCY OF UNDERSTANDING HEAT.

AND WOMEN ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO DIE FROM HEAT IN EUROPE THAN MEN.

AND SO THIS DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT IS NOT JUST ON INFORMAL ECONOMIES AND THE DEVELOPING WORLD, IT'S ALL OVER.

AND THAT LONDON HEATWAVE, IF NOTHING IS GOING TO WAKE US UP TO HEAT'S EFFECTS, THAT JUNE HEATWAVE THAT I THINK THE UK ESTIMATED MAYBE 3,000 DEAD FROM JUST THAT WEEK OF HEAT.

SO IT'S HERE, AND THERE ARE LOTS OF ACTIONS TO TAKE, BUT WE'VE GOT TO WAKE UP AND START --START INVESTING IN THESE SOLUTIONS.

>> WHEN IT COMES TO MATERNAL HEALTH CRISIS AND CHILD HEALTH CRISIS, THERE IS A STAT FROM KAISER PERMANENTE CALIFORNIA, IT SAYS HEAT IS DRIVING A 28% INCREASE IN COMPLICATIONS TO PREGNANCY LIKE PRETERM BIRTH AND STILL BIRTH.

I WANT TO ASK ABOUT SOMETHING YOUR ORGANIZATION LAUNCHED.

IT'S CALLED HEAT PREGNANCY INSURANCE.

WHAT IS THAT?

HOW DOES IT WORK?

>> IT'S CALLED HERA MATERNA.

WE CORETURN WITH COMMUNITIES ACROSS SOUTH ASIA AND WEST AFRICA.

A PROGRAM, IT'S A LONG WAY TO SAY WE PROVIDE INSURANCE THAT THE WOMEN PAY A SMALL PORTION TOWARD THAT SUPPLEMENTS THEIR INCOME THAT IS LOST TO EXTREME HEAT.

SO WE HAVE 300,000 WOMEN IN THAT PROGRAM.

AND PREGNANT WOMEN STARTING NEXT YEAR WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A FREE INSURANCE AND CASH SUPPORT AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE NONFINANCIAL THINGS LIKE A SOLAR FAN THAT HELP THEM PROTECT THEIR HEALTH DURING THIS MOST HEAT SUSCEPTIBLE TIME.

AND SO WE'LL KICK IT OFF A GROUP OF 30,000 WOMEN IN GUDRAT IN INDIA.

AND IT WILL, AS I SAID, WHEN YOU GET CERTAIN TEMPERATURES AND HUMIDITY LEVELS, IT WILL TRIGGER A PAYMENT.

AND THAT PAYMENT WILL BE BIGGER THAN IT NORMALLY WOULD AND COME SOONER FOR PROTECTIONS THAT HELP A WOMAN PROTECT HER PREGNANCY AND HER EARLY DAYS AFTER SHE'S HAD HER BABY.

>> LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SOLUTIONS THAT YOU KNOW ARE WORKING ON BOTH FIRST AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL AND THEN A STRUCTURAL LEVEL.

ON AIN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE WITHOUT ANY AIR CONDITIONING CAN DO TO HELP PREVENT GETTING HEAT EXHAUSTION, HEATSTROKE?

>> SO ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT IS HAPPENING ACROSS THE DEVELOPING WORLD, AND IN SOME CASES THE DEVELOPED WORLD, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT.

THIS IS THE PHENOMENON THAT THE MATERIALS WE BUILT OUR CITIES WITH AND THE ROOFTOPS OF SO, SO MANY INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AROUND THE WORLD ARE CORRUGATED METAL ROOFS THAT ABSORB HEAT.

AND THAT SAME PHENOMENON HAPPENS IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD.

SO THINK ABOUT LONDON AND THE SUFFERING THAT PEOPLE WENT THROUGH.

THEY DON'T HAVE AIR CONDITIONING, AND THE BUILDINGS ARE HOLDING HEAT.

BLACK ASPHALT HOLDS HEAT AND EMANATES IT AT NIGHT.

GLASS AND STEEL.

AND SO THE CITIES ARE MEGA HEAT SPOTS BECAUSE OF THE MATERIALS WE BUILT THEM WITH, AND BECAUSE OF THE DENSITY.

AND SO THE FIRST THING YOU CAN DO IS COOL THE ROOF.

AND THAT MEANS COAT WIT A LIGHT SURFACE.

THERE ARE ALSO GREEN ROOF PROGRAMS.

WHEN YOU PUT SOME SORT OF NATURE OR GRASS OR YOU CAN USE NATURE AROUND YOUR HOUSE TO SHADE YOUR HOUSE.

SO YOU NEED SHADE, YOU NEED TO COVER THE WINDOWS DURING THE DAY, BUT LET THE AIR IN DURING THE NIGHT, IF YOU CAN.

THERE ARE WAYS TO USE A FAN VERY STRATEGICALLY, AND USING WATER TO PUT AIR ACROSS THE WATER TO COOL A ROOM.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY WE'VE GOT TO GET OUR HEAT LITERACY UP.

I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST PIECES OF HEAT LITERACY IS AN UNDERSTANDING OF NIGHT TEMPERATURES.

WE'RE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THAT.

WHEN THE CITY IS HOLDING HEAT AT NIGHT AND THEN DURING THE DAY COLLECTING IT AND EMANATING IT AT NIGHT, THE NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES ARE NOT COMING DOWN ANYMORE.

AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE THAT HELPS SHOW THAT IS THAT WE HAVE AS A GLOBAL COMMUNITY FOCUSED ON NOT HAVING THE TEMPERATURES ABOVE THE INDUSTRIAL ERA RISE MORE THAN 1.

5 DEGREES CENTIGRADE.

AND THAT IS THE AGREEMENT WE MADE ACROSS COUNTRIES FOR THE PARIS ACCORD IN 2015.

THAT'S A DAYTIME AVERAGE.

SO THE NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES IN A RECENT ANALYSIS WE DID, AND THERE IS A REPORT ACROSS 100 CITIES IN THE WORLD, WE SAW THAT SOME CITIES WERE INCREASING THEIR NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES AS MUCH AS 13 TIMES THE DAYTIME.

AND SO WE'VE GOT TO KEEP OUR EYE ON A 24-HOUR SET OF SOLUTIONS.

>> LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS STRUCTURE.

IF WE HAVE THESE URBAN HEAT ISLANDS ALL OVER THE PLANET, THAT REALLY COMES DOWN TO MATTER OF CITY PLANNING.

YOU BUILT THIS TOOL, A CITY HEAT SOLUTIONS CALCULATOR.

IF I'M AN URBAN PLANNER, AND I START TO PLUG THINGS INTO THIS CALCULATOR, WHAT DO I GET?

HOW DO I TRY TO RETHINK WHERE I SHOULD MAKE MY INVESTMENTS IN THIS CITY TO DECREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS?

>> SO THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS UNDERSTAND WHERE THE MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ARE IN YOUR CITY.

AND WHAT THIS CALCULATOR ALLOWS YOU TO DO IS LOOK AT SIX TRIED AND TRUE SOLUTIONS AND CALCULATE WHAT IMPACT IN TERMS OF SAVING PRODUCTIVITY IN THE COMMUNITY AND SAVING LIVES YOU WOULD HAVE IF YOU DID THESE THINGS IN YOUR CITY.

AND WE LOOKED AT 11,000 CITIES IN THE WORLD, AND THE METHODOLOGY IS ALL THERE FOR -- IT'S OPEN SOURCE, AND PEOPLE CAN SEE HOW WE DID THAT.

BUT THE ESSENCE IS IF YOU HAVE A HEAT RESPONSE PLAN, IF YOU HAD GREEN OR COOL ROOFS, IF YOU HAD AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM, IF YOU USED A COMBINATION OF INSURANCE AND CASH SUPPORT, WHAT SORT OF SAVED PRODUCTIVITY WOULD YOU ACHIEVE IN DOLLARS, AND HOW MANY LIVES MIGHT YOU SAVE IF YOU DID THAT.

AND SO IT'S NOT A DIRECT INVESTMENT TOOL, BUT IT IS A DIRECTIONALLY VERY HELPFUL QUANTIFICATION OF WHAT A CITY CAN DO IN TERMS OF ITS ECONOMIC IMPACTS, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT IF I DID 50% OF THE CITY IN GREEN ROOFS, IF I DID PUT NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS IN HALF OF THE CITY, THAT SORT OF THING.

AND YOU CAN COME BACK TO SEEING, OKAY, THIS IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION FOR MY CITY.

>> SO WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF CITIES THAT ARE THINKING ABOUT THIS, THAT ARE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, AND WHERE IT'S WORKING?

>> INDIA IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF HEAT SOLUTIONS.

THEY'VE HAD HEAT, BEEN BUILT FOR HEAT FOR CENTURIES AND CENTURIES.

AND SO CITIES, PARTICULARLY THE CITY OF AHMEDABAD IS FAMOUS FOR ITS HEAT ACTION PLAN.

HAND IN HAND WITH THE CITY CALCULATOR WOULD BE A HEAT ACTION PLAN.

AND SO OF AHMEDABAD IS UPDATING THAT PLAN.

CITIES HAVE PLANTED TREES AT LONG AVENUES ALL OVER THEIR DOWNTOWN.

IT HAS DROPPED THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE IN THE CITY SUBSTANTIALLY.

THE CITY OF ATHENS HAS DELIVERED ALL SORTS OF GREAT HEAT SOLUTIONS THAT ARE NATURE-BASE AND SHADE AND THINKING ABOUT WHERE DO PEOPLE WAIT FOR THE BUS, HOW DO YOU COOL YOUR METRO SYSTEM.

LOOK AT THE CITY OF FREETOWN AND HOW THEY HAVE A CHIEF HEAT OFFICER AND SHE WORKS WITH HERA, AND DELIVERING ALL SORTS OF SOLUTIONS THAT ARE TRAINING FIRSTLINE FRONTLINE HEALTH WORKERS, COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS.

WE ARE CO-CREATING AND DESIGNING, DELIVERING SHADE, SHADE INFRASTRUCTURE.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

THAT'S FANS AND SOLAR LIGHTS AND ACCESS TO COLD STORAGE FOR THOSE MARKET TRADERS I MENTIONED EARLIER.

THINKING ABOUT EARLY WARNING AND MAKING SURE THAT EARLY WARNINGS ARE REACHING THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM.

AND SO THINKING ABOUT THESE SOLUTIONS AS INTEGRATE AND MULTIFACTOR, BUT THEY HAVE TO BE BASED ON UNDERSTANDING THE COMMUNITY, NOT JUST THE SCIENCE OF WHERE THE HOT SPOTS ARE AND WHERE THE HEAT IS GOING IN TERMS OF PREDICTIONS, BUT ALSO WHICH COMMUNITIES ARE SUFFERING THE MOST AND WHICH SOLUTIONS WORK BEST FOR THEM.

>> CEO OF HERA KATHY BAUGHMAN McLEOD, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.