Ashley Ward, senior policy associate at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, spoke with Axios about why many have been slow to recognize that summers are becoming deadlier. Ward also noted that while structural changes are critical for addressing extreme heat’s health impacts, communities and public servants also have a role to play.

Following unprecedented heat in the Pacific Northwest, Ashley Ward spoke to The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., about what can be done to prevent deaths and adequately prepare communities for heat waves.