06 May 2025 The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat events is posing unprecedented challenges to educational infrastructure globally, particularly in urban areas and resource-constrained settings. By 2050, nearly 2.02 billion children—almost every child in the world—will be exposed to heatwaves (UNICEF, 2023). Children are physiologically more vulnerable to heat stress, and poor school infrastructure often exacerbates the issue. Extreme...
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Guidance for Building Resilience to Extreme Heat Community of Practice on Extreme Heat Management in Education Infrastructure
Heat Smart Schools is a guidance framework by CDRI to help schools adapt to rising extreme heat risks. With over two billion children projected to face frequent heatwaves by 2050, the document emphasizes that heat threatens health, learning, and equity, especially in vulnerable communities.
It outlines seven actionable steps: establish inclusive governance, use science and forecasts, implement structural and nature-based cooling measures, integrate heat literacy into education, address underlying risks like water and nutrition, mobilize financing, and prepare for future heat events through drills and recovery planning.
Recommendations span structural retrofits, passive cooling, shaded spaces, hydration systems, and community engagement. The guidance promotes a whole-of-society approach, linking schools with municipal, health, and disaster systems to ensure resilience and safeguard children’s right to learn in a warming world.
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Heat Smart Schools
