The Arizona Community Foundation, the city of Phoenix, the Desert Botanical Garden and Arizona State University are teaming up to try to attract more investments in extreme heat mitigation in the Valley.
The city and partner groups announced they will host a new conference to connect researchers and community organizations with funders.
“[They] will gather right here in downtown Phoenix to share what is working, align investment, and showcase that Arizona is ready for resources at scale,” Anna Maria Chavez, Arizona Community Foundation president and CEO, said during a Thursday press conference.
The two-day event is scheduled for early December. It will be called the 122 Degree conference, named after the hottest temperature ever recorded in Phoenix.
Chavez says the 122 degree record should be thought of as a call to action to devote more resources to heat mitigation and long-term resilience.
The last two years were the hottest on record in Phoenix, and extreme heat impacts public health, energy consumption, and the economy.
Tackling the challenges of an even hotter future in the Valley will come with a big cost, Chavez said.
“All of us need to come together with one singular goal, and that is sustained investment,” Chavez said.
Phoenix leaders have expressed concerns about future funding sources for heat relief efforts. The city and Maricopa County have spent millions over the last few years on cooling centers and other forms of heat relief, but most of that funding has come from pandemic-era federal aid which is set to expire at the end of this year.
Chavez noted many nonprofit organizations have also struggled financially in recent years.
“We know how hard it is to raise money around certain causes,” Chavez said. “Philanthropy must step up.”
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