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Date Published: 06/12/2021

ARCHIVED - Spain prepares climate shelters to protect against heat waves

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

In 2019, 356,000 people worldwide died as a result of heat waves

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Spain prepares climate shelters to protect against heat waves

The plummeting temperatures make it easy to forget the stifling summer, but with extreme heat waves becoming increasingly frequent in Spain, local councils in municipalities such as Sevilla and Barcelona are creating ‘climate shelters’ that provide citizens with a slight reprieve when the temperature rises.

Along with climate change, urban planning has led to many cities being scorching in the summer months, with high rise buildings blocking the coastal breeze and green shady areas disappearing in favour of concrete.

A recent study found that more than 356,000 people died as a result of heat waves around the world in 2019, and more than 100 people lost their lives during the unprecedented heat that scorched western Canada and the USA this summer. In response, many cities opened ‘refreshment centres’ so that people could escape the sun, and now Spain is following in their footsteps.

In Barcelona, the council has established 162 locations that offer a cool break from the sun. Libraries, sports centres and museums appear on the map of climate shelters and will operate between June 15 and September 15, when the temperatures are highest. In addition, a dozen schools have been adapted to face the impact of heat waves.

As well as opening climate shelters, the Sevilla City Council announced in October that it would be launching a pioneering project to study and categorise heat waves based on their impact on human health, with the aim of anticipating and implementing protective measures.

During the presentation of this initiative, one of the promoters described heat waves as a “silent killer” that must be addressed, since they “wreak havoc on our economies, affect the most vulnerable members of society and kill more people than any other climate threat”.

Image: Archive

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