Athens and the dangers of heat

Last month was the hottest June ever experienced in Athens, at least since records began over 150 years ago. In fact, eight of the hottest 10 Junes ever recorded in Athens were during the last 20 years and four of those were in the last decade alone. This is having clear consequences for the city and its inhabitants, as rising temperatures and protracted heatwaves, beyond impacting daily life, also pose a number of health risks.

Eleni Myrivili, the UN Chief Heat Officer working with UN-Habitat and the Arsht Rock Resilience Center at the Atlantic Council and the former Chief Resilience Officer and deputy mayor for Athens, joins Thanos Davelis to break down the challenges Athens is up against, explore the efforts to build urban heat resilience, and look at whether Athens can serve as an example to other cities.