Phoenix, Arizona, has pioneered a strategy to combat heat-related deaths by appointing a heat officer, a model now being studied globally as extreme heat intensifies due to climate change.
Phoenix’s approach to tackling heat-related mortality has drawn international attention, with officials in the U.S. and beyond examining its strategies as global temperatures rise. The city, already accustomed to scorching summers, became the first in the world to hire a heat officer in 2021, a role designed to coordinate efforts across government agencies and ensure consistent communication during heatwaves. This initiative, according to Ladd Keith, director of the Heat Resilience Initiative at the University of Arizona, is critical for addressing a crisis that will only worsen.
A Blueprint for Heat Resilience
The heat officer model emphasizes accountability and proactive planning, a stark contrast to the fragmented responses seen in many regions unaccustomed to extreme heat. Keith argues that without a dedicated leader, heat mitigation efforts risk falling through the cracks. It’s incredibly important to make someone responsible for heat because the problem is, if it’s no one’s responsibility, then no one will address it,
he said.
Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located, has seen measurable results from its heat resilience programs. After a peak of 645 heat-related deaths in 2023, the number dropped to 405 in 2025, a decline experts attribute to policy changes. These include expanded access to cooling centers, 24-hour operations in some locations, and initiatives to repair or replace air conditioning units for low-income residents. The world has a lot to learn from Maricopa County,
said Jennifer Marlon, a Yale University researcher who studies extreme heat impacts.
The Escalating Heat Crisis
Heatwaves are no longer rare events but a persistent reality, with scientists warning that the current intensity and duration are unprecedented. People don’t realize this is not the same heat that we were experiencing 10 years ago, it is actually worse, because in many cases nighttime temperatures are not cooling off,
Marlon told the BBC. This shift has dire consequences, as the human body struggles to recover from daytime heat without the relief of cooler nights.
The data underscores the urgency. In 2025, Maricopa County recorded 23 heat-related deaths by July 11, with another 282 under investigation—a number that, if confirmed, would surpass the previous year’s total. We’ve had the relative benefit of knowing that this is going to be a problem every year, but it appears to be more and more of a problem or more of a predictable event in communities across the globe,
said Nicholas Staab, Maricopa County’s chief medical officer.
Global Lessons and Local Challenges
While Phoenix’s strategies offer a framework, replicating them elsewhere faces hurdles. It takes widespread acknowledgement and understanding of how serious heat can be and that it is not temporary,
experts say. Cities need to treat heat as an infrastructure and economic issue, not just a public health concern. Roads buckling under extreme temperatures and flight delays caused by heat are already occurring, signaling broader systemic risks.
Experts stress that planning must shift from historical data to future projections. We have to shift away from planning for the historic heat we’ve experienced and start to plan for the heat we’re going to experience in the next five to 10 years,
Keith said. This includes preparing for heat that will be hotter, and it’s going to be hotter longer,
as he warned. The records are going to be broken, you can almost guarantee, year after year across the world.
As climate change accelerates, the question is no longer whether heat will intensify but how effectively communities can adapt. Phoenix’s model provides a starting point, but its success depends on political will and public awareness. The world has a lot to learn from Maricopa County,
Marlon reiterated, noting that the county’s efforts demonstrate the value of coordinated, long-term planning.
For now, the focus remains on scaling solutions. With heat-related deaths already rising in Europe and the U.S., the lessons from Phoenix could prove vital. Yet, as Staab warned, the downward trend is not guaranteed.
The coming years will test whether cities can keep pace with a climate that shows no signs of cooling down.
BBC highlights the urgency of heat resilience, with Phoenix’s strategies offering a blueprint for a hotter future.
