COP30 Brasil Bulletin #34 - Collective Effort Against Extreme Heat Gains Momentum at COP30 with Launch of UNEP Report

Reporter: Extreme heat is already one of the most visible consequences of the climate crisis—and one of the greatest challenges faced by cities worldwide. During COP30 in Belém, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) launched the Global Cooling Watch 2025 report and promoted the Mutirão—a Portuguese word meaning “collective effort”—against Extreme Heat.

The initiative, led by the COP30 Presidency in partnership with the Cool Coalition, has already brought together more than 150 cities—from Rio de Janeiro to Nairobi—committed to tackling extreme heatwaves and ensuring access to sustainable cooling. During the event, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen emphasized that rising temperatures are already responsible for half a million deaths each year, underscoring the urgent need to guarantee universal access to sustainable cooling.

Inger Andersen: Access to cooling must be treated as essential infrastructure—on par with water, energy, and sanitation—because cooling saves lives and keeps economies, schools, and hospitals running. But we cannot air-condition our way out of the heat crisis.

Reporter: The report highlights that, without urgent action, the number of people at risk from extreme urban heat could increase sevenfold by 2050. However, viable solutions are within reach. Strategic investments in sustainable cooling—through climate-responsive architecture, expanded green infrastructure, and energy-efficient technologies—could reduce sectoral emissions by up to 64% and generate trillions of dollars in energy savings.