Citizen science for cooler schools: improving heat resilience in educational settings

The increasing number, duration and intensity of extreme heat events associated with a changing climate demand investment in preparedness in settings where people learn, work, play and live. The success of interventions and resilience initiatives relating to community level emergency and disaster management as well as future thinking on climate change adaptation is enhanced when communities are closely involved in the development and implementation. The Citizen Science for Cooler School's project (CS2) was a 12-month pilot that explored heat risk in Queensland schools and involved students as scientists to learn about and consider ways to manage identified ‘hotspots’ on school grounds. Two schools in South East Queensland were selected after meeting eligibility requirements. In partnership with researchers, students in Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) clubs used inquiry-based methods to understand the heat problem and its effects. They used scientific equipment to identify school hotspots and, during guided classroom activities, students planned projects to mitigate heat-health concerns. Alongside this student involvement was the development of the Heat Risk and Preparedness Toolkit that was co-designed by researchers and school staff. This paper presents the project’s findings, recommendations for future testing and options for development and application of the project deliverables in more Queensland schools.