Applications Now Open Nationwide For Community-Led Heat-Monitoring Campaigns

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As part of President Biden’s Investing in America initiative, the Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring launched applications on November 1, 2024, enabling communities around the United States to monitor and evaluate variables influencing local heat risk. The Inflation Reduction Act will provide $10,000 and technical assistance to selected communities to collect heat distribution statistics through community-led programs.

Many of us are well-informed about climate change, and we understand and have dealt with climate-related calamities, including so-called regular storms. Like myself, I am aware that more unpredictable and unexpected climatic calamities will strike and surprise us all with their new patterns.

Hot surface waters from rising temperatures created a new intensity in Hurricane Helene, a novel type of pattern that took a hurricane to the Appalachian Mountains for the first time ever. Here is a means to gather facts and facilitate the flow of information to and from all communities. Once again, we congratulate President Biden’s Investing in America initiative for its significant contribution.

“The Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring supports essential research and data collection around extreme heat,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “It equips communities with the knowledge to make informed and equitable decisions about heat resilience while engaging community members and community-based organizations throughout the process.”

NOAA reports: “The center will build on the research developed over eight years of NOAA-supported urban heat island mapping campaigns. Past campaigns have informed local cooling solutions, decision-making, advocacy, and education around heat resilience in more than 80 communities. […] The Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring (CCHM) was created by NOAA and the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) with $4.55 million in funding through the Inflation Reduction Act to address extreme heat and its impacts. The CCHM and the Center for Heat Resilient Communities make up the NIHHIS Centers of Excellence, which strengthen heat resilience across the country through heat research and governance strategies.”

How to apply

So, how does one apply for this funding? “The application window for this opportunity is open now and closes on January 17, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET. In support of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, the center will prioritize applications from communities that have experienced historical patterns of discrimination, underinvestment and disenfranchisement and have limited resources to conduct heat monitoring on their own. Rural communities, tribal nations, U.S. territories and communities that have not previously undergone heat mapping are especially encouraged to apply.”

“Communities that submit an optional Expression of Interest by November 15, 2024 will have the opportunity to be matched with a ‘mentor’ community to share their experiences with participatory science and provide additional guidance. The center will also host upcoming webinars and Q&A sessions to answer questions from prospective applicants.”

There are numerous changing climate factors, but one of the most challenging continues to be drought. To demonstrate the dangers of rising temperatures and increased dryness, here’s also some current drought news, from the U.S. Drought: Weekly Report for October 29, 2024: “moderate to exceptional drought covers 45.3% of the United States including Puerto Rico, an increase from last week’s 41.9%. The worst drought categories (extreme to exceptional drought) increased from 4.2% last week to 5.5%.”

Our world is changing fast, and we have to learn to adapt.