MADRID - Heat is killing thousands of people in Southern European cities but what is being done in Barcelona, Milan and Lisbon about it? In 2023, more than 45.000 people died in Europe due to heat-related causes, with the southern countries topping the list.
Adaptive solutions are available. A cross-border investigation of Maldita.es (Spain), Mensagem de Lisboa (Portugal), and Slow News (Italy) looks into city-level solutions that are mitigating heat risks in urban areas.
Barcelona has become a leading example in battling heat-related deaths through its network of 360 climate shelters, which offer residents a place to escape from extreme heat by providing cool temperatures, water, and seating. In Lisbon, due to lack of a concerted strategy by the City Council, citizens have intervened. In some of the city's neighbourhoods, residents have installed swimming pools in the streets and one city resident has created an interactive map that allows people to find where the nearest climate shelters are.
In Milan, a project aims to plant 3 million trees by 2030 was implemented to increase the canopy cover and mitigate the effect of urban heat islands and air pollution. The proof that this solution works has already existed in the city for two centuries: tree-lined avenues and parks, designed since 1780, show temperatures up to 10°C cooler than the surrounding areas.
The investigation includes an analysis of the data on deaths related to heat in Europe and across the three countries, requests of FOIs to local and regional authorities and interviews to a dozen of experts, institutions and citizens affected.
Photo by Rita Ansone
ONLINE
- Heat is killing thousands in Southern European cities: what Barcelona, Milan and Lisbon are doing about it, Maldita, 23/09/2024.
- Miles de personas mueren por el calor en las ciudades del sur de Europa: así responden Barcelona, Milán y Lisboa, Maldita, 23/09/2024. (Spanish)
- Il caldo uccide migliaia di persone nelle città europee, Slow News, 23/09/2024. (Italian)
- O calor mata milhares de pessoas na Europa: como se protegem Barcelona, Milão e… Lisboa, Mensagem de Lisboa, 23/09/2024. (Portuguese)
- Extreme heat in Madrid: citizens create their own climate shelters in response to limited institutional action, Maldita, 25/09/2024.
- Calor extremo en Madrid: los ciudadanos crean refugios climáticos ante la escasa acción institucional, Maldita, 25/09/2024. (Spanish)
- A place to escape the heat less than 10 minutes away: how Barcelona's network of “climate shelters” was built, Maldita, 27/09/2024.
- Un lugar donde escapar del calor a menos de 10 minutos: cómo se tejió la red de "refugios climáticos" de Barcelona, Maldita, 27/09/2024. (Spanish)
- Heat-resilient cities, Slow News, 30/09/2024. (Italian)
- Il caldo uccide migliaia di persone nelle città europee, Slow News, 30/09/2024. (Italian)
- Milano è una trappola di calore, e sarà sempre peggio, Slow News, 30/09/2024. (Italian)
- A Milano, di soluzioni alle isole di calore non ne mancano, Slow News, 30/09/2024. (Italian)
- UrbAlytics, la tecnologia può essere una soluzione?, Slow News, 30/09/2024. (Italian)
- ForestaMI è una bellissima idea che si sta arenando, Slow News, 30/09/2024. (Italian)
COUNTRIES
- Spain
- Portugal
- Italy
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