this graph was created in OurDataWorld:
Extreme heat has major impacts on human wellbeing: it makes it harder for kids to learn at school, reduces the productivity of outdoor workers, and puts pressure on healthcare systems. In the worst case, it kills.
This is already an issue — particularly for countries in the tropics — but will become even more critical as the world warms. This article is the third in my series on extreme heat. In my previous articles, I looked at how many die from extreme temperatures today and how climate change could affect this in the future. In many of the world’s poorest countries, deaths are expected to increase if we don’t invest more in adaptation.
Protecting people from extreme heat will require blending the old and the new. Technological solutions like air conditioning (AC) will be essential, but relying on them alone would be a mistake.
The availability and affordability of AC is — and will continue to be — highly unequal, leaving the poorest households unable to protect themselves. It’s also not a solution for those who work outdoors in agriculture, construction, or as street sellers. This is the reality for most people in tropical countries, where heatwaves will be most extreme.
The goal, then, is to build communities and cities more resilient to heat through urban planning, communication, and emergency responses.
We can learn a lot from our ancestors, who learned how to build cities and design lifestyles that could cope with scorching summers and intense heat waves. That will not be enough in a warming world, but it’s a starting point to build new solutions.
Go to the old parts of many cities, and you’ll find yourself walking through narrow streets. This helps to keep them cool. The ground and the walls of the houses are only exposed to the sun for a short period of the day when the rays come from directly above. Wider streets are in direct sunlight for long periods, absorbing large amounts of heat. Cul-de-sacs also form heat barriers, so they’re more common, too.
Seville in Spain is a perfect example of this. It’s one of Europe’s hottest cities and is often hit by extreme heat. Older parts of the city — stretching back to the Middle Ages — were designed with these natural cooling techniques in mind. It has small squares where people can find shade, communal fountains for people to keep cool, and trees and vegetation line the streets, where people can find shade. Newer parts weren’t designed like this: they often have large, wide avenues that can reach baking temperatures in the summer.
Lifestyles in Seville have also been adapted to deal with the heat. People stay indoors until the evening; the city comes to life only then. Afternoon siestas are normal for rest and shelter.