International cities from Athens to Dhaka, Freetown and Santiago are united in their efforts to protect residents from extreme heat.

Vital to this strategy is the appointment of a chief heat officer, someone who, like a fire department chief, can rapidly respond to emergencies — in this case heat waves.

Heat officers also help authorities to analyze local conditions, draw up plans and implement protective measures, including longer term solutions such as installing heat-repellent sidewalks or roofs.

Reforestation of urban areas is an important city cooling strategy being employed by heat officers in Freetown, Sierra Leone, for example. A smartphone app enables residents to get paid to nurture the city's trees and green spaces.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

The concept of a chief heat officer was initiated in 2021 by the Atlantic Council, a US think tank. It acknowledged that extreme heat could impact around 3.5 billion people by 2050 — with half of those effected in urban centers. In response, the council wanted to create a permanent heat officer role to make cities more climate resilient.

Cities need to be constantly prepared to adapt to extreme heat, and not only act in times of crisis, said Eleni Myrivili, the global chief heat officer at the Atlantic Council's Climate Resilience Center.

"Usually those types of issues are dealt with only when there is a big........

© Deutsche Welle