ClimaCoder
Overview
The places most affected by climate change are also the ones least studied. Too often, research only follows the money, and the Global South gets left behind. I don't want to wait for someone else to decide our struggles are "lucrative" enough to care about—so I'm working to build open, high-quality tools that Latin American communities can actually use to prepare for extreme heat.
ClimaCoder applies the same EHI-N* physiological framework used for India to Central America and Mexico—regions where outdoor labor in agriculture, construction, and fishing exposes millions to heat stress that existing indices dramatically undercount. Every dashboard, dataset, and analysis we produce is open-access by default.
Research Threads
Systematic Review: Heat Stress in Latin America
A comprehensive systematic review synthesizing heat stress research across Latin America. Preliminary findings reveal a stark disparity: Central American countries account for less than 3% of published heat-health literature despite bearing some of the highest occupational heat exposure rates globally. The review covers health impacts, adaptation strategies, and policy gaps across the region.
In ProgressHistorical Heat Stress Modeling (ERA5)
Country-by-country heat stress assessments using ERA5 reanalysis data (1950–present) and the Extended Heat Index. Each dashboard shows how heat danger zones have expanded over time—Belize's coastal lowlands, for example, now regularly exceed EHI danger thresholds during May–September that were rare events 30 years ago. Interactive maps let users explore by work intensity, month, and region.
Future Heat Stress Projections (ML + CMIP6)
Combining CMIP6 climate model outputs with stacked ML ensembles to project when and where outdoor work becomes physiologically impossible across Latin America. Under SSP3-7.0, preliminary results suggest parts of Guatemala's Pacific lowlands could see 60+ additional "unworkable" days per year by mid-century for heavy labor.
Early DevelopmentCountry Analysis Progress
Methodology
ERA5 hourly reanalysis (ECMWF) — 0.25° resolution, 2m temperature, dewpoint, wind, and solar radiation fields
Extended Heat Index (EHI-N*) — physiological model solving coupled heat balance across core, skin, and environment
Resting (100 W/m²), Light (180 W/m²), Moderate (300 W/m²), and Heavy (350 W/m²) metabolic rates
Interactive maps, risk zone classifications, monthly time series, and cross-country comparisons — all open-access