Facing the Heat The year 2023 was reported as the hottest year globally, with the average near-surface temperature in 2023 being 1.45 °C above the pre-industrial baseline according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) State of the Global Climate 2023 report.1 record. [...] With the increasing use of heat-absorbing and heat-retaining materials and reduced coverage of natural vegetation and water bodies, urban surfaces quickly heat up during the day and are slow to release the heat at night. [...] An Integrated Heat and Cooling Action Plan (IHCAP) must be developed to address the pressing need to adapt and mitigate extreme heat and provide sustainable and equitable cooling without further warming the urban environment. [...] Short and medium-term strategies for building resilience: After understanding the impact of extreme temperatures and identifying the vulnerable populations and areas, and impacts on sectors, an action plan needs to be prepared for vulnerable populations and areas and to strengthen city infrastructure to deal with extreme heat. [...] Monitoring and evaluation system To ensure the action plans achieve their intended goals, a monitoring and evaluation process must be established outlining the key performance indicators, the timeline for monitoring, and the responsible stakeholder for conducting the assessment.
Related Organizations
- Pages
- 16
- Published in
- India
Table of Contents
- Contents 3
- 1. Facing the Heat 4
- Figure 1 Monthly global average temperatures anomaly from the 1940s to 2024 4
- Map 1 Number of increased extreme heat days across the world in 2023 4
- 2. Escalating Impact of Heat Waves 5
- Figure 2 Total number of heat wave days and deaths from 1960 to 2019 5
- Figure 3 Working hours lost to heat stress by subregion 5
- Map 2 Number of days with maximum temperature over 40C 6
- 3. Cities on the Brink 6
- Map 3 Heat hotspots in the city of Bhubaneswar 7
- 4. The Cooling Challenge 7
- Figure 4 Increase in residential cooling capacity by countryregion 7
- Figure 5 Increase in commercial cooling capacity by countryregion 8
- Figure 6 Increase in electricity demand and CO emissions from space cooling by countryregion 8
- 5. Policy Framework around Heat and Cooling Sectors 9
- National Cooling Action Plans 9
- Map 4 Countries which have developed the NCAP 9
- Heat Action Plans 9
- Map 5 Countries which have developed national or city level HAP 10
- 6. Disconnect between the HAP and the NCAP 10
- 7. Proposed framework for IHCAP 10
- Figure 7 Framework of the IHCAP 10
- 1. Adapt to increasing heat 11
- Figure 8 Key components related to extreme heat adaptation 11
- 2.Building resilience 11
- Figure 9 Key components related to extreme heat resilience 11
- 3. Cool the city 12
- 4. Reduce cooling demand 12
- 5. Providing thermal comfort through sustainable cooling solutions 13
- 6. Budgeting and Finance 13
- 7. Monitoring and evaluation system 13
- References 14
