Athens has appointed a chief heat officer to protect people from soaring temperatures and try to adapt the city to the heat waves and extreme weather that hit the capital more frequently due to climate emergencies.
The appointment made by the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis on Friday, is the first appointment in Europe and is believed to be only the second appointment in the world after Miami-Dade County, Florida. A Chief Hot Officer was appointed earlier this year.
Bakoyannis said: “For our city, climate change means more frequent and dangerous extreme high temperatures for residents and tourists who are vital to our economy. Unfortunately, Athens is not unique-high temperatures are not unique. It is an emergency situation for cities in Europe and all over the world.”
Eleni Myrivili, Athens’ new chief heating officer, added: “We have been talking about global warming for decades, but we have not talked much about heat.”
Myrivili’s task is to find Ways to cool the cityIn addition to the obvious air conditioning in buildings, this will only exacerbate the climate crisis through the massive use of energy around the world.Plant trees and plants and Cultivate green space Used for shading and their cooling performance will be crucial, as Redesign roads and buildingsAnd check the materials used for construction.
Athens announced a plan to increase green spaces and shade throughout the city. Providing “cool routes” through areas where building density poses specific problems will also be a priority. The city has used smartphone apps to warn residents and tourists about the weather and provide tips for avoiding the heat.
This summer was one of the hottest summers on record in most of Europe. Heat records in many areas have fallen,at the same time Floods swept through Germany and Belgium. all over the world, China experienced a devastating flood, Although the heat wave hits Canada’s north latitude, and Wildfires are raging in the U.S..
Heat is a special problem for people in cities, because the building area and concrete store heat from the sun, and energy use and transportation will generate excess heat of its own, increasing the natural warming effect, while the natural cooling effect is less. Trees, vegetation and water.
Very young and older people are most likely to overheat, although the temperature in some places is so high that even healthy young people More and more dangerous. At least 104,000 deaths among the elderly population in Europe are caused by Overheating in 2018.
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, warned that cities everywhere must pay attention. “Extreme high temperatures are becoming the new normal in the urban environment, and they occur with alarming frequency. The devastating heat waves have removed any doubts about the impact of climate change on our lives. There is an urgent need to strengthen the actions taken by cities to deal with extreme heat and Prevent silent killers from causing more deaths.”
The action in Athens was supported by the City Champion Hot Action initiative, which was initiated by the Adriana Asht-Rockefeller Foundation’s Resilience Center.
