As scorching temperatures shatter records with alarming frequency, a new era of climate danger is unfolding across the globe. From the U.S. to South Asia, heatwaves are no longer rare occurrences they’re becoming the new normal. Today, on Heat Action Day, as communities around the world raise awareness of the dangers of extreme heat, it is clear that awareness alone is not enough. Action must follow swiftly, inclusively, and equitably.
Across every continent, extreme heat is quietly claiming lives and overwhelming systems. It spares no part of daily life: hospitals overflow, energy grids collapse, outdoor labor becomes perilous, and students struggle to learn inside sweltering classrooms.
In Nepal’s rural Madesh region, a recent study by Mercy Corps lays bare the educational consequences. “The classrooms feel like furnaces,” one student shared. “The walls trap the heat, and all I can think about is when I can escape.” It is a stark reminder that children’s futures are on the line not just their health.
Yet, as the threat grows, early warning systems meant to protect the public lag behind.
Why are early warnings still falling short?
It might surprise many to learn that more than half of all meteorological services worldwide issue heat alerts. But most rely solely on maximum temperature forecasts, ignoring the cumulative danger of multiple consecutive hot days and nights. This shortfall can prove deadly, as the true harm of heatwaves often lies in their relentlessness not just their peaks.
Even more troubling is the inconsistency in how heatwaves are defined, measured, and communicated. The Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre has identified hundreds of definitions in use globally, with little standardization or shared practice. The problem is exacerbated by stark disparities in national capacities. Low-income countries across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia often have no formal heat alert systems at all leaving the world’s most vulnerable communities without warning or protection.
Breaking the silos: the case for global collaboration
Fixing this fractured system requires more than piecemeal reforms. It demands global coordination, robust knowledge sharing, and local empowerment. Encouragingly, steps are already being taken. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), is developing updated guidance and a global handbook of extreme heat indicators due later this year.
Such resources can help governments especially in developing nations assess vulnerabilities, design heat warning systems, and implement data-informed responses. But no amount of top-down policy will succeed unless communities themselves are involved from the outset.
People-centered alerts save lives
Heat does not impact everyone equally. Pregnant women, the elderly, people with disabilities, outdoor laborers, and those without access to cooling infrastructure face disproportionate risks. To be effective, warning systems must go beyond blanket alerts. They need to reach at-risk populations in formats they can understand and act upon. That means messages in local languages, distributed through trusted community networks, containing not just the forecast but clear, practical advice.
The Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance is pioneering this kind of grassroots approach. In countries like Pakistan, Senegal, and the Philippines, they are working alongside communities to tailor early warning systems to local needs. This means identifying vulnerabilities, developing actionable recommendations, and ensuring alerts are grounded in cultural context and local realities.
A call to scale and speed
We are in a race against rising temperatures. Heatwaves are now among the deadliest climate-related disasters yet they are also among the most preventable. Timely, accurate, and accessible early warnings can save thousands of lives. But achieving this requires moving faster, thinking bigger, and working together.
The convergence of Heat Action Day and the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva offers a unique moment for the world to align its priorities. Early warning systems must be seen not as optional tools, but as core infrastructure for climate resilience.
As our planet warms, so must our resolve. To protect lives, livelihoods, and the next generation, we must invest now in smarter, more inclusive early warning systems before the next heatwave hits.
Because when the air itself becomes dangerous, silence is not an option.