How Cities Can Cool Down and Save Lives

How Cities Can Cool Down and Save Lives

Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average, partly due to its overlap with the rapidly heating Arctic. Last summer brought 66 days of “strong heat stress” across southern Europe—when daily temperatures reached a feels-like temperature of 32°C or higher—far surpassing the average of 29 days.

Dr. Madeleine Thomson, Head of Climate Impacts & Adaptation at Wellcome, emphasizes that solutions exist. “We urgently need to cut emissions and adapt our cities,” she says. “Simple changes, like adding green spaces and waterways, can help cool urban areas and protect public health.”

Green spaces aren’t just aesthetic—they’re public health infrastructure. Trees provide shade and release moisture through evapotranspiration, naturally cooling surrounding areas. Urban waterways and fountains offer similar benefits, particularly crucial in densely built neighborhoods where vulnerable populations often live.

Heat action plans that work include early warning systems that alert vulnerable populations when dangerous heat approaches, giving people time to prepare. Cooling centers in public buildings provide refuge for those without air conditioning during the most dangerous hours. Adjusted work schedules prevent outdoor labor during peak heat—a measure finally implemented in parts of Italy after a construction worker’s death.

Tourist patterns are already shifting. Travel companies are scrapping summer holidays in Turkey, instead running new trips to Scandinavia, where bookings from British tourists jumped 40% last year. Google searches for “summer holiday in Europe not too hot” are rapidly growing.

Cities are better prepared than during the devastating 2003 heatwave that killed 70,000 people. But with temperatures continuing to rise and populations aging, emergency services struggle to keep pace. The record-breaking summer of 2024 wasn’t an anomaly—it was part of an accelerating long-term shift.