☀️Heat Solutions

A call for action: How Miami can become a global leader in finding and sharing solutions to our excessive heat crisis.

The swelteringly hot summer days in Miami, when the heat index climbs to 105 degrees or more, have historically been about six days a year. But this year, temperatures have risen to such scorching levels well over 30 days so far, said Jane Gilbert, Chief Heat Officer for Miami-Dade County. 

And the summer heat is not over. 

Cities around the world are grappling with extreme heat. For years, concerns related to climate change in Miami have centered on sea level rise. This summer has made it plain that extreme heat is an issue for Miami too. 

“It’s been a silent killer,” said Gilbert, noting that extreme heat is the number one weather-related cause of death – more than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or forest fires. “An unappreciated danger.”

Since launching Opportunity Miami a year and a half ago as a platform focused on Miami’s economic future, we’ve made the case that Miami’s generational opportunity is to turn its vulnerability to climate change into our great strength. Namely, for Miami to become a place that builds groundbreaking zero-carbon companies and distinguishes itself as a climate solutions hub. 

When it comes to extreme heat, there are signs that vision is starting to become a reality. As the world scrambles to adapt, Miami - particularly the Miami-Dade County government, along with entrepreneurs in the region - is showing itself to be a global leader in sharing solutions and taking action. 

To begin, the Miami-Dade County government under Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has been way ahead of the curve on extreme heat. More than two years ago, Levine Cava announced the newly created role of Chief Heat Officer, making Miami-Dade the first government in the world to establish such a position. 

By April 2021, Jane Gilbert was hired into the new role, signaling its importance as she brought years of community leadership experience, having previously worked as the City of Miami’s first Chief Resilient Officer, led the development of the Resilient305 Strategy, and was founding executive director of two non-profits. We sat down with Gilbert for an Opportunity Miami Q&A last year, which you can read here. 

In short order, cities around the world - from Los Angeles and Santiago, Chile to Melbourne, Australia, and Freetown, Sierra Leone - followed Miami-Dade’s lead by naming their own Chief Heat Officers. Last Fall, seven of the world’s Chief Heat Officers - all of whom are women - gathered in Washington. You can read about the gathering here. 

In December last year, after lengthy community-wide engagement, Gilbert presented Miami-Dade’s Extreme Heat Action Plan. It set out three focus areas: 

• Inform, prepare, and protect residents from the dangers of extreme heat

• Cool homes and emergency facilities 

• Cool neighborhoods 

Since launching the plan, some 3.7 million people have been reached through an award-winning social media, radio, and television campaign raising awareness about the dangers of extreme heat, Gilbert said. Among the messages: encouraging residents to have a plan, similar to when hurricanes are coming. Training and workshops have been held for summer camps and employers across the region. 

Utilizing $1.3 million in Recovery Act funds, some 1,700 air conditioning units were installed in Miami-Dade public housing units (surprisingly, the federal government doesn’t require that public housing units have air conditioning), said Gilbert. Another $7.5 million went to retrofit properties - from sealing windows to cool roofs, which are lighter colored to reflect the sunlight. 

Going forward, the county requires all of its new buildings to have a cool roof and be built to LEED silver standards.  

Libraries and community centers in parks have been set up as cooling sites for residents when the air conditioning goes out in an apartment building, for instance. Separately, legislation is pending in the county to establish work requirements for access to water and scheduled breaks for laborers working outside, such as on a construction site or farm.    

Lastly, to cool neighborhoods, Miami-Dade’s tree canopy has been expanded with more than 12,000 trees planted and another 10,000 given away to residents. Several grant applications have been submitted to the federal government for millions more in funding to greatly expand the effort. 

Looking back on the flurry of activity, Gilbert said, “I’m so grateful that the mayor had the vision to create this position two years ago, that we put together the action plan, and the county wasn’t unprepared.” 

Meanwhile, climate tech entrepreneurs and companies are leaning into addressing heat as well. This ranges from startups like Living Carbon which genetically engineer trees to guzzle more carbon to Gradient that’s putting heat pump technology into window cooling and heating units for apartments. Perhaps fittingly, South Florida is establishing itself as a leader in air conditioning. 

Blue Frontier, a Boca Raton-based startup, is readying for the market its hyper-efficient air conditioning units that both require much less energy than conventional units and produce dramatically less climate-warming emissions. Last year Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Volo Earth Ventures, and London’s 2150 VC invested $20 million into the startup. We featured Blue Frontier’s CEO Daniel Betts on a recent Opportunity Miami On Site episode, which you can see here. 

Watsco, the multibillion-dollar publicly-traded Coconut Grove-based company, is the largest HVAC distributor in North America. It’s using its heft and reach to replace inefficient units across the continent in an effort to drive CO2 reduction. Christian Hernandez of London-based 2150 VC has called Watsco “one of the most impactful companies in our fight against climate change.”    

Coupling such groundbreaking entrepreneurial efforts alongside policy and government action, Miami has the opportunity to establish itself as a global leader in addressing extreme heat. 

PITCH US 

If you have a company, person, or idea you want to share, please email us at next@opportunity.miami. We invite you to subscribe to watch our Interviews and On Site series featuring leaders shaping Miami’s future. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can subscribe to us on Substack by clicking here. And if you are new to Opportunity Miami, you can learn about our mission and work here. 

Matt