The Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities – Addendum on the Extreme Heat Risk Management is a diagnostic tool designed to help local governments evaluate their preparedness for increasing heatwaves. Developed as a supplement to the broader Disaster Resilience Scorecard, it provides a structured framework for cities to assess their heat risk management efforts against global good practices. Finance professionals can use this tool to understand how urban jurisdictions identify, prioritise, and fund resilience measures against one of the most severe climate change impacts.

Organisation behind the tool

The tool was developed by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) through its Global Education and Training Institute (GETI) and as part of the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative. The development process incorporated feedback from a pilot involving national and local governments from over 15 countries and drew upon resources from the MCR2030 Urban Heat Risk Management Resource Package.

What the tool does

The tool functions as a self-assessment framework structured around the Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient. Key features include:

• 18 specific indicators scored on a scale of 0 to 3 to measure the strength of integrated heat action.
• Analysis of governance structures and financial planning specific to extreme heat.
• Evaluation of urban development, infrastructure resilience, and ecosystem-based solutions.
• Assessment of emergency preparedness, social inclusion, and recovery planning.
• Guidance for identifying implementation gaps and setting investment priorities.

Target audience

The primary users are local government officials, urban planners, and municipal stakeholders. It is also relevant for national government agencies, disaster risk management professionals, and international development organisations focused on urban resilience.

Relevance to finance professionals

Finance professionals, particularly those in municipal finance, infrastructure investment, and ESG analysis, can apply the scorecard in the following ways:

• Risk assessment – Identifying city-level exposure to extreme heat and the maturity of local disaster management systems.
• ESG analysis – Evaluating municipal governance and social inclusion metrics related to climate adaptation.
• Investment context – Informing long-term capital allocation by highlighting where infrastructure or ecosystem upgrades are required to mitigate heat-related economic losses.
• Financial planning – Assessing the adequacy of municipal budgets and contingency funds for heat-related emergencies and long-term resilience projects.