Highlights from
FY 2025: Annual Report
Heat and Health
Over the last 30 years, heat exposure has killed more people in the United States than any other weather-related phenomenon. The economic and health impacts of heat make it one the deadliest and costliest weather-related disasters for humanity. The Nicholas Institute is working to accelerate ways to build heat resilience.
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HeatWise DC Brings Policy Lens to Extreme Heat
The HeatWise Policy Partnership, organized by Duke’s Heat Policy Innovation Hub, convenes top thought leaders committed to accelerating solutions to extreme heat impacts in the United States. Building on the inaugural 2024 summit, HeatWise DC featured a series of high-impact roundtable discussions designed to translate research and insights into actionable policies and strategies.
Hosted at Duke in DC, the June 2025 event focused on rural heat vulnerability, national defense, and financing for heat mitigation and insurance. More than 60 participants emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships, better communication of success stories, and quantifying the economic impacts of extreme heat to inform policy interventions.
HeatWise DC included a reception for attendees and invited guests to network and to recognize the launch of the bipartisan Congressional Extreme Heat Caucus, co-chaired by Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.).
HeatWise is intended to bring people to the table who don’t normally talk to each other. We hosted it this year in D.C. so we could bring federal representation into conversations with people from communities, civil society, academia, the private sector, and philanthropy.
Ashley Ward (left) hosts a panel with (L to R) Pastor Neil Bernard (New Wine Christian Fellowship), Angella Dunston (Warren County Environmental Action Team), and Reverend Leo Woodberry (Kingdom Living Temple and New Alpha Community Development). Photo by Ashley Stephenson.
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Churches and Communities Team Up for Heat Resilience
The Cooling Communities initiative brings together community leadership, trusted faith-based institutions, and financial innovation to explore scalable, locally rooted strategies for heat resilience. The first phase of the project has been led by the Heat Policy Innovation Hub in partnership with Duke Divinity School and Interfaith Power & Light.
In FY 2025, dozens of faith leaders across the Carolinas convened to share community experiences with extreme heat and co-develop strategies for resilience. Through two in-depth workshops and semi-structured interviews, participants shared valuable insights about heat challenges, resources currently available to communities, potential solutions, and barriers to implementation.
A FY 2026 report highlighted findings around an innovative insurance model to provide financial relief for energy costs during extreme heat events. Project organizers also plan to publish resources for churches seeking to engage their congregations in building heat resilience and to launch a network of rural churches and community centers that provide cooling, communications, and care during extreme heat.
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Supporting Smarter, More Coordinated Global Heat Action
In July 2024, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent, coordinated action to meet the growing challenges that communities around the world face from extreme heat. A year later, the Heat Policy Innovation Hub answered the call in partnership with the Global Heat Health Information Network, the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and World Meteorological Organization.
The hub and its international partners developed three resources to help countries and organizations pursue smarter, more coordinated action to reduce heat risk: a stocktake report of heat action across U.N. entities and international organizations, an assessment of heat action plans from six countries, and case studies on national heat resilience. The resources are part of a broader initiative to build a more effective, interconnected framework for addressing extreme heat across sectors and governance levels.
Education Spotlight
DukeEngage Project: Heat Mapping to Strengthen Resilience in the U.S. Virgin Islands
The small island states of the Caribbean are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather, including rising temperatures. Over summer 2025, Heat Policy Innovation Hub Director Ashley Ward (top row, far right) led a team of 10 Duke undergraduates in leveraging technology and data-driven strategies to help strengthen extreme weather planning and preparedness in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The DukeEngage project was conducted in partnership with the U.S. Virgin Islands government and several community organizations.
Public resources generated by the project team coming soon!