With dangerously high temperatures hitting European cities more and more frequently, Euronews‘ monthly climate change series “Climate Now” addresses the LIFE ASTI project, the urban heat island effect, and what can be done to protect the health of the most vulnerable people. Jeremy Wilks reports from Rome the latest efforts to better manage the health risks from heatwaves in european cities. Francesca de’Donato from the Lazio Regional Health Authority and Andrea Cecilia from the Tor Vergata University of Rome talk about all the recorded scientific data and what efforts are being made on the LIFE ASTI project. As Francesca makes very explicit in her statement about the heatwaves in cities: “There isn’t a universal definition of a heatwave. There isn’t a universal level of temperature which would be most at risk for the whole of Europe or worldwide. Maybe 32C for Rome is a normal temperature during the summer. For the UK or for Finland, it becomes very, very hot. So conditions need to be adapted, and warning systems need to be city-specific in order to account for this.”
Watch here the episode of “Climate Now” titled “Heatwave alert: can new technology help protect Europe’s most vulnerable?” in the Italian language.
