On Tuesday, Might 16 at 19:30 GMT:
Scorching temperatures and report breaking warmth have already grabbed headlines this yr as more and more extreme warmth waves proceed to be a recurring function of life in lots of elements of the world. College hours have been lower quick in the Philippines whereas outside labour shall be banned in Spain when it’s just too harmful to work. Local weather historian Maximiliano Herrera tweeted {that a} latest heatwave in Southeast Asia is likely one of the most brutal warmth occasions the world has ever witnessed. All of the whereas scientists are on excessive alert, warning that an El Nino climate system may be imminent.
In cities the danger of maximum warmth is all of the extra pronounced. Shade may be elusive and accessible solely to the rich whereas buildings themselves typically entice warmth throughout the day and launch it at evening, working to additional elevate temperatures. A recent analysis has discovered that “over 1.6 billion individuals dwelling in near 1,000 cities will face common, excessive heatwaves in underneath 30 years’ time” if pressing measures aren’t taken. Specialists warn that with excessive warmth comes elevated loss of life and sickness, threats to biodiversity and long-term impacts on financial progress. Whereas wealthier nations and residents are inclined to have extra entry to reduction, it’s people who find themselves dwelling in decrease earnings international locations and communities who are suffering essentially the most.
As excessive warmth continues to plague individuals and communities world wide a brand new crop of leaders are main the cost to mitigate the dangers and affect of their cities. On This episode of The Stream, we focus on how some cities are responding to excessive warmth.
On this episode of The Stream, we’re joined by:
Eugenia Kargbo @EugeniaKargbo
Chief Warmth Officer, Freetown Sierra Leone
Aditya Valiathan Pillai @aditya_vpillai
Affiliate Fellow, Centre for Coverage Analysis (CPR)
Cristina Huidobro @CrisHuidobro
Chief Warmth Officer, Santiago Chile
