Conversations with Faith Leaders: Exploring Faith-Based Perspectives on Heat Resilience in North and South Carolina

Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States, disproportionately impacting low-income communities, older adults, and people with chronic conditions. In rural and semirural areas along the I-95 corridor in North and South Carolina, congregations are often among the few consistent institutions providing care and connection. The Cooling Communities project engaged faith leaders across North and South Carolina to understand how church communities perceive and respond to extreme heat and explore their potential role in broader resilience efforts.

From fall 2024 to spring 2025, students from Duke Divinity School participated in con-versations with community stakeholders to better understand North and South Carolina communities, specifically those in the Sandhills and Coastal Plains experiencing ex-treme heat and energy poverty. The engagement process began with an in-person gathering of churches (pastors and lay leaders) and community partners invited to participate in this work.

This community engagement component involved Duke Divinity School students working with partners including the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke, North Carolina Council of Churches, and North and South Carolina Interfaith Power and Light.