Hey Climate Designers,

As we near the end of summer, heat is on the mind.

It's been a hot, fiery season. And it won’t be the last. In the words of Anya Kamenetz, These Fires Will Burn for 100 Years. It's heavy, but it's also a moment full of possibility and collective purpose.

What does designing for a hotter world look like? What past practices and future innovations will keep us cool as things continue to warm?

In urban design there are of course the thermal design principles we’ve known for millennia. Since the earliest settlements we’ve designed spaces that naturally keep things cool. Buildings aligned with the wind for cross ventilation and towers that promote passive cooling. Stone and earthen walls that regulate temperature with their high thermal mass. Water elements and greenery that provide evaporative cooling. Window shade elements that block heat from outside. These traditional design elements have long been practiced across cultures. While they are often skipped today due to the cost-cutting demands of modernity, there’s plenty of effort in the urban design community to bring them back.

This might be possible for new builds, but what about all the infrastructure that already exists? How do we weatherize existing buildings? What kinds of retrofits will work in what contexts? This summer’s heatwaves prompted a ton of articles on how different regions are beating the heat. As the more involved civic upgrades and urban greening struggle to keep up, individuals are improvising exterior window shades and adopting personal cooling devices. Cities are setting up misting fountains and pointing the public towards existing cooling infrastructure during heatwaves. The need for heat mitigation will only grow, and this is an area ripe for design adaptations at both the individual and city level.

Then there is the intersection of heat and energy infrastructure. Most of our grids weren’t built for current temperature fluctuations, but the hardware to endure these swings does exist. We only need to look to the gulf nations for inspiration on designing for extreme heat. But upgrading hardware is slow work, and in the meantime software is maximizing what’s in place. Whether it’s digital twin software to manage load with a mirror of the physical grid, energy management tools for tightening efficiency, or carbon awareness tracking to do more when the energy is cleaner, there are a host of digital design approaches to this very physical challenge.

Managing heat is just as much a communication challenge as an infrastructure challenge. Heat safety requires a new kind of literacy to fully understand the risks, how to manage them, and what resources are available from both civic entities and community groups alike. How can public campaigns communicate most effectively in advance of a heatwave? And how can they ensure equitable access to cooling centers, reliable power, and other safety measures? Reducing harms from heat calls on the storytellers, the educators, and the organizers to get creative with messaging as they spread the word.

Throughout it all are questions of equity. The impact of heat falls greatest on those working in hot conditions and on the global regions who did the least to cause climate change. Will there be widespread heat-protection policies that go beyond the basics? Will there be planned relocation for heat-stricken regions paid for by the countries that caused this mess? The environmental justice concerns are glaring and our global response is lacking. One can hope that will shift as labor groups continue to organize and governing bodies catch up to set new policy precedents.

There are countless ways for creatives to be a part of the infrastructure, tools, and care that keeps people safe. Whether it’s urban greening projects, retrofits to cool existing spaces, digital tools to keep the power grid steady, or organizing campaigns for worker safety, adapting to heat is a global design challenge full of creative opportunity.

It’s hard to accept that the heatwaves aren’t going away. Yet it’s also energizing to be part of collectively building the world we want to see for future generations. In the tension between hope and cynicism, it’s worth remembering that the impossible happens all the time. While there will be more heat in our future, there may also be quite a few beautiful surprises along the way.

In the meantime, stay cool out there.

– Natalie Walsh​
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If you value the work we do, the best way to support us is with a recurring donation. Help us continue to bring you these rich conversations, resources, and inspiration in a world of doom and gloom.

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Latest from Climate Designers

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Join the next Successes & Struggles event on September 2nd

A space where designers working in the sustainability/climate space can share what's actually working and what's not.

Real wins, real failures, real breakthroughs that move the design industry forward.

This is for anyone doing climate work in design: mid-career pivot, veteran practitioner, currently in the trenches. Your experience is the foundation someone else needs.

Doom & Bloom Season 2… so far

We’re in the middle of producing and recording episodes for season two. If you haven’t listened to the published episodes yet, catch up on Renee, Drew, and John & Brandt’s episodes.

We have a few people queued up over the next couple of months that will add more dimension to the theme of shifting the culture within the design industry to prioritize climate-forward design decisions.

• A cultural futurist, strategist, and global researcher shaping the way brands and leaders anticipate what’s next
• A systems designer and creative strategist working across social innovation, regenerative futures, and social impact
• Business consultants who have partnered with 500+ leading creative firms worldwide

Our goal is to invite a wide range of perspectives to the conversation.

Community Highlights

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Bengaluru Chapter gets going!

“Climate Designers Bengaluru just had our first standalone meetup, and it was super fun!

13 climate-curious humans came together for a session themed around circular design. Everyone brought something sitting unused at home as requested previously, which turned into a fun little thrift activity, followed by discussions on how we can rethink the systems around us for a better future. The visit from our furry park residents was an unexpected, cute addition.

The best part? The event officially ended, but no one wanted to leave. People stayed back to play, chat, network, and make new connections, turning a meetup into the beginning of a real community.

Here’s to many more!”

– Keerthana R.

Events & Opportunities

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Climate Designers Online Events

• ​Climate Designers Global: Successes & Struggles on September 2
• ​New Wave Research Project: Re-nourish with Eric Benson and Yvette Gattineri on September 24
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External Online Events

• ​Vent Session with Sustainability Creatives on August 31
• ​Cultural, Visual, and Futures Literacies: Educating the Next Generation of Designers with Institute for the Future on Sept 1
• ​Design Essentials for Climate Conscious Leaders with guest Marc O’Brien from Climate Designers on September 9
• ​Finding Your Role in a Feminist Dystopia with Tracee Worley on September 12
• ​Tracking the true planetary impact of the AI supply chain with Green Tech South West on Sept 23
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Festivals and Climate Weeks

• ​Future Festival in Toronto on September 30–October 1
• ​NYC Climate Week on September 20–27
• ​NYC Climate Film Festival on September 17–21
• ​LA Wild & Scenic Film Festival on September 26 (Climate Designers LA will be there)
• Lots of Climate Weeks coming up in September, check them all out here​
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Cohorts and Courses

• ​Designing Otherwise Cohort with Ida Persson and sahibzada mayed, apply by September 1
• ​Indigenous Sciences: Food Systems, Land Stewardship, and Sustainable Worldviews with Dr. Lyla June starting September 7
• ​Designing with Nature’s Cycles: Ecological Awareness in Practice starting September 14 and Biomimicry for Nature Positive Buildings & Cities starting September 29 with Biomimicry Institute
• ​Hello World Climate Action Design School with Katie Patrick starting September 17
• ​Degrowth & The Great Turning with Armando Davila & Arpita Bisht starting October 3
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Opportunities

• ​25th Andreu World International Design Contest: Manufacturing the Future closing September 16
• ​Design Researchers in Residence with Future Observatory (theme: Grown) closing September 6
• ​Design Generators (grants) from Future Observatory (UK only) closing September 29
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Jobs

• ​Check out the latest on the Climate Designers job board

Inspiration

What's inspiring the team this month.

​Alex Holland: SolarPunk Stories for a circular future​ “I truly enjoyed the hopefulness of the conversation and learned a bunch about "through-topias," or how we get through it all to a better future we deserve.” - Eric Benson​

​What if we never built a new building?​ “Wonderful visually engaging piece about Barbara Buser’s work with adaptive reuse in the built environment in Switzerland. It’s inspiring to see how she’s transforming the old into thriving community hubs and 3rd spaces, without adding cost. More of this please!” - Natalie Walsh​

​SBTi Communications Guidance, August 2026​ “A useful reference for anyone writing about climate targets. SBTi validates the target itself, not a company’s wider strategy or progress, and recommends saying ‘validated’ rather than ‘approved’, ‘verified’ or ‘certified’. A good reminder that climate claims can quickly become misleading when the language gets too loose.” - Marta De Prisco​

​The New Kind of Heat Humans Can’t Handle​ “Humidity can make heat deadly. How do we educate the general public about wet bulb temps? How do we train TV meteorologists to communicate how their viewers should read weather data? What is the responsibility of weather apps in telling users how to prepare for their day outside?” - Marc O’Brien​

​Tonika Lewis Johnson's Folded Map™​ “I was introduced to this project from the Climate Action Museum located in the heart of Chicago. One of the many reasons that I love Chicago is its grid design, making it easy to navigate from one end of the city to the other. Stating that, I have never considered the reflections it can have from the north to the south side of the city and vice versa. In the Folded Map Project, Tonika Lewis explores the urban environment, design, and its impact on Chicagoans, including the redlining and gentrification that are common in metropolitan areas." - Sabrina Karas​

​Climate.us launches independent website for trusted climate information​ Built by members of the team behind NOAA’s Climate.gov and launched this summer, it's a “great resource with easy to digest (but painful to swallow 😬) charts and data.” - Community submission

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