Phoenix is among 33 cities across the globe joining a collaboration to mitigate the impacts of extreme heat. The new Cool Cities Accelerator was announced at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio De Janeiro this week.
Heat kills more people worldwide each year than any other type of weather-related disaster.
“One person dies every single minute because of extreme heat,” said Elizabeth Yee, executive vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation, which is supporting the Cool Cities Accelerator. “If we don’t try to address this increasing threat of heat in our cities, we’re going to continue to see elevated rates of mortality.”
Phoenix is one of five U.S. cities joining the new collaboration. Other cities committing to action against dangerous heat include Paris, Nairobi, Kenya; Singapore; Mumbai, India; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
While the cities involved in the Cool Cities Accelerator span the globe, Yee said they face similar threats related to climate change-driven temperature increases.
“Many of these 33 cities have a lot of shared challenges, they have a lack of green space, their building codes are such that the existing infrastructure is incredibly warm,” Yee said.
The C40 World Mayors Summit is a conference of more than 100 city leaders from around the world focused on local-level climate policies. The summit is happening ahead of the COP30 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will begin next week.
Speaking during the opening event for the C40 summit on Monday, Mayor Kate Gallego highlighted some of the heat mitigation actions Phoenix has already taken, such as investing in shade, expanding access to cooling centers, and providing updated training for first responders dealing with heat emergencies.
“Year over year, Phoenix has doubled down to improve resources and services to keep our residents, especially those who are most vulnerable, safe during summer months,” Gallego said. “In the year ahead, we’ll increase our installation of both natural and built shade, and continue to pilot cool surface technology to protect our residents and infrastructure.”