MIAMI BEACH, Fla. —Jane Gilbert was enjoying the mild temperatures and light breeze of early March as she hurried between meetings.
He knows the heat will be here soon.
Gilbert and hundreds of scientists, policymakers, activists and business leaders gathered at the Miami Beach Convention Center for the Aspen Ideas: Climate conference, a three-day event to discuss solutions and adaptations to global warming.
Gilbert is the heat superintendent for Miami-Dade County, home to more than 2.6 million people on Florida’s southeastern tip. In 2021, he became the first person in the world to hold the title, and has since been joined by a handful of others in cities around the world trying to cope with the realities of extreme heat in a warming world.
Gilbert said heat chiefs stayed in touch via group chat on WhatsApp, sharing tips with each other and advocating for changes in policy.
“I talk mostly to the heat superintendents in Phoenix and Los Angeles, but I have learned from Melbourne, Australia, Santiago, Chile and Athens, Greece,” he said. “This type of resource sharing is one of the most powerful and satisfying aspects of my job.”
In South Florida, known for its tropical conditions, Gilbert’s mission is to protect residents from rising temperatures and humidity and make the county more resilient to extreme heat worsened by climate change.
Of particular concern when temperatures rise are those who are most vulnerable: children, seniors, homeless populations, people working outdoors, and low-income communities.
“If you live and work with air conditioning and can afford a car with air conditioning, you probably won’t have any problems. “We’re not really worried about you,” Gilbert said. “That outdoor worker, that person who can’t stay cool at home, that person who has to wait at the bus stop for an hour unsafely.”
His work to reach those most at risk was critical last year, when Miami experienced its hottest summer in history.
“In the 14 years leading up to 2023, we have seen an average of six days of the year reach a heat index of 105 degrees or above,” Gilbert said. “Last summer we had more than 42 days, so that was seven times the average.”
Many predictions show that things will get worse.
The planet as a whole experienced its warmest year in recorded history in 2023. Climate scientists say this year could be just as hot, if not hotter.
Gilbert recalled the backlash he faced when he was appointed from people for whom heat was a way of life in this part of the country. Why would South Florida need someone who focuses solely on heat?
“It’s always been hot here, but we’ve had 77 more days where the temperature was over 90 degrees than we had 50 years ago,” he said. “This is a different level of heat.”
Heat is often called the “silent killer” and kills more people in the United States each year than any other weather phenomenon, according to the National Weather Service. When temperatures peaked last summer, temperature-related emergency room visits also increased, Gilbert said.
Studies have shown that by mid-century this part of Florida could experience 88 days of the year, or roughly three months, with heat index temperatures at or above 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat index values represent how temperature feels on the human body when humidity and air temperature are combined.
According to Gilbert, the predictions show that there is no time to waste.
This month, ahead of the warm season, his team is reaching out to renters and owners about affordable ways to cool their homes. As last year, training programs will also be held for healthcare workers, homeless outreach workers and summer camp providers.
Gilbert said the top priority is to reach the most vulnerable and tailor the message to different communities. That’s why efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of extreme heat and how people can prepare are being spread on radio, social media and through community channels in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole, he said.
Next month, his team’s outreach will focus on what employers can do to keep their employees safe. Those efforts took on new importance last week after the Florida Senate approved a bill that would prohibit cities and counties from adopting requirements for mandatory water shutoffs and other workplace protections against extreme heat beyond those required by federal law.
Banning local governments from setting workplace temperature standards risks the health and safety of people working in construction, agriculture and other industries that require workers to stay outside, labor organizations said.
Gilbert said the legislation is a major concern because construction workers are 11 times more likely to contract heat-related illnesses during extreme heat events than the average person, and agricultural workers are 35 times more likely. Even without local heating regulations, educating these workers about their rights will be a priority in the coming months, the official said.
Despite the challenges, Gilbert said he and his colleagues can still make progress in pressuring employers to comply with general rules set by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Part of this will include educating employers on how a heat safety plan will increase productivity during the hottest months, increase employee retention, result in fewer workers’ compensation claims, and provide other positive economic benefits.
“This is where we really need to double down,” he said. “We are leveraging our relationship with our OSHA office to highlight the good actors and perhaps highlight the bad actors.”
Overcoming legal challenges sounds familiar to Gilbert, who was previously chief resilience officer for the city of Miami. It also does not go unnoticed that this week’s climate change conference will be held in a city called “ground zero” of the country’s climate crisis.
“Florida is a hot potato politically, and I’m used to climate being a political issue,” he said. “But we’re doing our best, aren’t we?”
This article first appeared on NBCNews.com.