Visualising Extreme Heat

The document argues that extreme heat is often visually misrepresented as 'fun' or treated as a simple weather story, despite being the deadliest of climate extreme events. It advises visual storytellers to move beyond clichés by focusing on the most vulnerable populations—such as outdoor laborers, the elderly, and the poor—and by documenting the systemic impacts on health, transport, and employment. The guide emphasizes the importance of balancing images of risk with visuals of concrete interventions, such as cooling centers and shade structures, to avoid overwhelming audiences. Additionally, it suggests expanding the timeframe of shooting to include nights and planning access to institutions like hospitals and care homes before heat seasons begin.

• Extreme heat is currently the most lethal of all climate-related extreme events, surpassing the mortality rates of floods, storms, and droughts.
• Common visual tropes of heatwaves, such as people swimming or eating ice cream, are inaccurate and may lower the public's perception of the actual risks involved.
• Visual storytelling should prioritize those most at risk, including outdoor and indoor laborers (such as construction workers and warehouse staff), the elderly, disabled individuals, pregnant women, and the homeless.
• To prevent audience overwhelm, images of heat impacts should be paired with visuals of risk-reduction interventions, such as public cooling centers, shade structures, and cooling vests for workers.
• Visual coverage should extend beyond the hottest parts of the day to include nights, as nocturnal heat contributes to mental health deterioration and increased domestic violence.

APA

Johnstone-Hack, A. (2024). Visualising Extreme Heat. Climate Outreach. https://climateoutreach.org/visualising-extreme-heat/

Chicago

Johnstone-Hack, Alastair. Visualising Extreme Heat. Climate Outreach, 2024. https://climateoutreach.org/visualising-extreme-heat/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Johnstone-Hack |first1=Alastair |title=Visualising Extreme Heat |publisher=Climate Outreach |date=27 August 2024 |url=https://climateoutreach.org/visualising-extreme-heat/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{johnstonehack2024visualising, author = {Johnstone-Hack, Alastair}, title = {{Visualising Extreme Heat}}, institution = {Climate Outreach}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://climateoutreach.org/visualising-extreme-heat/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }