Extreme heat is a growing threat to the health and security of vulnerable people around the world, especially the urban poor, as climate change brings increases in the frequency and intensity of hot weather events. In urban housing projects and informal settlements in Yangon, Myanmar, the prevalence of barren open spaces, lack of tree cover, increasing traffic, and factory and pollution sources are exacerbating heat levels. Although there are some policies in place that are aimed at climate resilience, poor communities lack knowledge about climate change impacts, as well as possible mitigation measures.
Women for the World, with support from Cities Alliance and Sida, aims to address these issues through its project, Community-Led Heat Mitigation: Raising Awareness for Heat Through People’s Process. The project includes actions such as the planting of shady trees, conduction of workshops and the sharing of knowledge through guidelines.
This 2-page report provides an overview of the project, its achievements and key lessons learned. It also describes further issues that the ongoing project should address in the next months.
