Adapting to the heat: four ideas from European cities

From checking on older neighbours to greening spaces, some cities are stepping up efforts to keep people safe Extreme heat has seared Europe this week, with the UK smashing its top heat record for June for three days in a row, and France sweltering through its hottest day and night on record. As fossil fuel pollution bakes the planet, making heatwaves hotter and longer, some places are adapting better than others. What have European cities done to stay safe when it gets too hot? Older people are vastly over-represented in the death tolls from heat, and doctors say one of the most effective things you can do in a heatwave is check on those around you. All French municipalities – and a handful of cities in other countries – have organised this as an official service, in which people with health problems or over the age of 60 can sign up to be contacted by the authorities during a heatwave. In Denmark, the DaneAge Association offers safety check-in calls in 170 out of 215 local branches. The scheme started more than three decades ago as a telephone chain, where one person called the next, who called the next – and relatives were informed if someone did not pick up. Because some people