The work of the Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce has attracted international attention for its innovative approach to building heat resilience.

After several record-breaking summers, cities around the world are grappling with the challenge of heat and are looking to Sydney for guidance. WSROC and other Taskforce members have been approached to share their expertise on a range of heat resilience topics.

United Nations Roundtable

Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Kamal Kishore, visited Sydney in August to attend a round table discussion hosted by the NSW Reconstruction Authority.

The roundtable was attended by a range of Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce members including WSROC, NSW Reconstruction Authority, Resilient Sydney, Committee for Sydney, NSW Ambulance, Australian Red Cross, Sweltering Cities and University of Sydney.

Mr Kishore showed a particular interest in Sydney’s Heat Smart City Plan, noting international challenges with defining heat, quantifying its impacts, and developing funding pipelines for heat resilience.

New York Climate Week

In September, WSROC was invited to attend New York Climate Week to share its work on heat resilience with other local governments including New York City, Mexico City, City of Phoenix, City of Tampa and City of Chennai.

Funded by the Amex Foundation, the trip provided an opportunity for knowledge exchange between cities working on common resilience challenges, and visit a range of on-ground resilience programs addressing flood and extreme heat.

International delegations

WSROC has been approached by several city governments seeking to visit Sydney and learn more about the Heat Smart City Plan. These include Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Hsinchu City Government, and the Z Zurich Foundation.

Research conferences

The Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce’s academic partners have presented to international conferences in Wellington, London and Istanbul, on the Taskforce’s innovative approach to governance and heat resilience.