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In a boiling world, chief heat officers battle 'silent killer'

Source(s): Context
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[...]

As the era of "global boiling" spawns ever deadlier heatwaves, a handful of heat tsars are working with officials in cities from Miami to Melbourne in a race against time to cool urban heat traps and prevent tens of thousands of deaths.

Seven chief heat officers - who all happen to be women - are working in Miami, Melbourne, Dhaka, Freetown and Athens to plant trees, create "pocket parks", install water fountains and teach people about the effects of extreme heat on the human body.

[...]

Already, last year was the hottest on record, and new research suggests that the intense northern hemisphere summer heat made it the warmest summer in some 2,000 years - more evidence of what U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called "the era of global boiling".

[...]

"So now we have to convince people that in order to survive the heat, they need to slow down and rest, drink water and seek shade, and even stop working if they feel unwell. For people living in poverty, that is a very difficult choice to make."

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