Health Risks and Adaptation Strategies for Sizzling Urban Heat

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has confirmed that 2024 is the warmest year on record globally, marking the first calendar year where the average global temperature surpassed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) also verified 2024 as the hottest year on record based on six international datasets, reporting a global average surface temperature of 1.55 °C above the 1850–1900 average. The WMO further noted that the past decade (2015–2024) has been the warmest on record, continuing an extraordinary streak of record-breaking heat.

Heatwaves are a rising health threat

The World Economic Forum (WEF) highlights the health risks and economic costs associated with heatwaves resulting from climate change, particularly in urban areas. Extreme heat is now one of the costliest climate risks, killing more people each year than hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and earthquakes combined.

With every additional degree of warming, the frequency, length, and intensity of extreme heat events continue to increase. Older adults and outdoor workers remain the most vulnerable to heat stress.

The UN Environment Programme’s Frontiers 2025 report revealed that heat-related deaths among people aged 65 and older have surged by 85% since the 1990s. In 2018 alone, nearly 300,000 heat-related deaths were recorded in China, India, Japan, and Europe. If global warming reaches 2°C, heat-related fatalities are projected to increase by 370% by 2050.

The heatwaves have also increased in frequency and intensity since the 1950s, as well as the heat domes. A heat dome is a climate phenomenon in which hot air is trapped over a specific region, resulting in oppressive heat.

How cities can adapt to extreme heat

Urban areas are particularly vulnerable due to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Materials such as concrete, asphalt, and dark-coloured roofs absorb heat and trap it in cities. The combination of tall buildings and narrow streets reduces airflow, intensifying heat exposure. With more than half of the global population already living in cities, set to rise to 68% by 2050, urban resilience is critical.

The WEF recommends multiple strategies to reduce heat risks:

• Nature-based solutions: Parks, botanical gardens, wetlands, and green corridors can cool surrounding areas by up to 5°C.
• Early warning systems: AI, IoT sensors, and earth observation tools can help protect vulnerable groups during heatwaves.
• Worker protections: PPE, cooling facilities, access to cold water, and mandated longer breaks during peak heat hours.
• Long-term infrastructure: Reflective paints, heat-resistant building materials, and urban planning that improves airflow.

Heatwaves are intensifying, but with climate adaptation strategies, cities and communities can better protect lives and livelihoods in a warming world.

Read the WEF explainer: Extreme heat: What to know about the deadliest climate risk of our time