The UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Extreme Heat highlights the urgent need for innovative solutions to address rising global temperatures.

Central to the report, is the urgent need to evaluate the resilience of critical infrastructure and the built environment to extreme heat and adopt measures to gradually strengthen their resilience. Investing in the triple strategy of (1) passive cooling solutions—such as nature, urban design, reflective surfaces, and smart buildings— (2) energy efficiency and (3) a phasedown of climate-warming gases used in cooling equipment could reduce the projected 2050 emissions by over 60 per cent. These measures not only reduce emissions but also significantly lower energy demand, fostering a more sustainable and climate-resilient built environment. The report also stresses the importance of increasing ventilation levels, which can significantly improve indoor air quality and thermal comfort, particularly in urban environments affected by the heat island effect.

Countries should be able to protect vulnerable populations and workers, boost economical and societal resilience using data and science, and limit temperature rise to 1.5^oC by phasing out fossil fuels and scaling up investment in renewable energy. The UN emphasizes that immediate and coordinated action is critical to avoid a future where extreme heat becomes an uncontrollable global challenge.

For more information, the full report is available at: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/extreme-heat