Tuesday 24 / June / 2025
Berlin: International cities from Athens to Dhaka, Freetown and Santiago are united in their efforts to protect residents from extreme heat.
Vital to this strategy is the appointment of a chief heat officer, someone who, like a fire department chief, can rapidly respond to emergencies — in this case heat waves.
Heat officers also help authorities to analyse local conditions, draw up plans and implement protective measures, including longer term solutions such as installing heat-repellent sidewalks or roofs.
Reforestation of urban areas is an important city cooling strategy being employed by heat officers in Freetown, Sierra Leone, for example. A smartphone app enables residents to get paid to nurture the city's trees and green spaces.
Heat wave prevention before it's too late
The concept of a chief heat officer was initiated in 2021 by the Atlantic Council, a US think tank. It acknowledged that extreme heat could impact around 3.5 billion people by 2050 — with half of those effected in urban centers. In response, the council wanted to create a permanent heat officer role to make cities more climate resilient.
Cities need to be constantly prepared to adapt to extreme heat, and not only act in times of crisis, said Eleni Myrivili, the global chief heat officer at the Atlantic Council's Climate Resilience Center.
"Usually those types of issues are dealt with only when there is a big event, so when there is a heat wave or a fire or a drought and it's dealt with, like a crisis, and then nobody does anything after that," said Myrivili, who was the chief heat officer for Athens, Greece from 2021 to 2023.
She said it's important to "try to help the different departments put in long-term plans that have to do with creating cooler cities."
Heat resilience must be incorporated into planning for streets, squares, sidewalks and buildings, though such comprehensive planning is the most difficult part of the job.
"I can't say that I succeeded with that," Myrivili admitted, adding that she has "been very successful in changing the culture in Athens." She said people now understand that heat poses a significant risk to their health and to that of the city in general, its economy and its society. "So I think that there has been a shift."
The Atlantic Council has so far supported eight chief heat officers appointed by governments around the world, from the US to Kenya and India.
Myrivili said countries are becoming more proactive, with India passing a law that requires every state to appoint a heat officer. This will be vital, she said, as the duration of heat waves increase globally.
Half a million annual deaths linked to extreme heat
Between May 2024 and May 2025, around 4 billion people — around half of the world's population — experienced at least 30 additional days of extreme heat, according to analysis by World Weather Attribution, Climate Central and the Red Cross.
Compared to a world without human-caused climate change, global heating has at least doubled the number of extreme heat days in 195 out of 247 countries and regions surveyed.
Meanwhile, a World Health Organization (WHO) report estimates that some 500,000 deaths a year worldwide are linked to extreme heat.
Most of those affected live in Asia, followed by Europe, where the number of extreme heat days — especially in the southeast — was the second highest since records began. At the same time in many countries, there are more and more elderly people, a group at bigger risk from extreme heat.
"Every additional fraction of a degree of temperature rise matters because it accentuates the risks to our lives, to economies and to the planet," explained Celeste Saulo, the secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, at the presentation of a report on the state of the climate in Europe in April.
City action plans to beat the heat
Due to extreme temperatures, the city of Phoenix in the US state of Arizona has now set up a team of six people to exclusively focus on extreme heat resilience. For the second year in a row, an emergency heat shelter, several cooling centers and drinking stations will be open around the clock during the summer months.
Barcelona in Spain is also using public buildings such as museums and libraries as designated areas to stay cool and rest.
In Germany, cities such as Cologne and Freiburg have drawn up the first heat action plans. Initial measures have been implemented, including information campaigns, strategies to protect vulnerable groups such as the elderly, early warning systems and the greening of city "hot spots."
Freiburg, for example, focuses on greenery as a cooling method, as well as on quick access to shade. Last year, the city of Cologne expanded sun protection elements like shutters on buildings and other infrastructure.
And the Protestant Church in Germany, a federation of various protestant denominations, recently announced that it would be making cool church buildings available as shelters throughout the country in summer.
Germany fails to prioritise heat protection
But Germany is lagging behind in terms of a comprehensive heat protection strategy.
Heat is the greatest health risk in Germany due to the climate crisis, and is responsible for more deaths than traffic accidents, noted Martin Herrmann, chairman of the German Alliance on Climate Change and Health.
"We as a society do not understood when it becomes dangerous, nor how dangerous it becomes," he said at a press conference in Berlin in early June.
Heat waves are becoming "more frequent, longer and more intense," noted Klaus Reinhardt, the president of the German Medical Association. Society must prepared, he added. "Heat affects everyone, regardless of age and preexisting conditions."
The Federal Institute of Public Health in Germany recently launched a new online portal providing practical tips on how to deal with extreme heat in everyday life. These include avoiding the hot midday sun, checking medication for heat tolerance and only ventilating indoor rooms when it is cooler outside than inside.
Herrmann said heat resilience is often not considered in plans for climate-friendly housing, and needs to be incorporated into civic infrastructure on a broad scale.
Eleni Myrivili also emphasised the need for solutions to be implemented quickly as temperatures continue to rise.
"The heat we are experiencing today is nothing compared to what we are facing," she said. "It will be much more dangerous and people are not aware of it."
