Beating the Heat Together: City Diplomacy in a Warming World

Beating the Heat Together | Webinar
Our Urban Future Webinar Series
  • Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2026 | 10:00–11:15 a.m. CEST
  • Format: Virtual
  • Register here
Overview of the Event

Extreme heat has become one of the deadliest and most costly urban risks, particularly in the Global South, where rapid urbanization amplifies the urban heat island effect. By 2050, the number of low-income urban residents exposed to extreme heat could rise by 700%, with the most severe impacts concentrated in West Africa and Southeast Asia. More than 100 cities already experience at least five days above 50°C each year, a threshold that was virtually unknown a decade ago, and this number could reach 250 cities at 3°C of global warming. Addressing this challenge demands not only local action but concerted international learning, solidarity, and cooperation: city diplomacy in practice.

This fourth session in the Our Urban Future series, co-organized by UNEP and the City Diplomacy Lab, brings together city representatives from Antalya, Barcelona, Lagos, and Singapore to examine what cities are doing now to respond to extreme heat, and how those efforts can be scaled, shared, and connected through the tools of city diplomacy. The session centers on the Beat the Heat Implementation Drive, the COP30 Brazilian Presidency and UNEP-led Cool Coalition flagship initiative, and on the 50 Cities at 50°C (50@50) campaign, which mobilizes a diverse global cohort of cities to showcase and strengthen their responses to extreme heat.

The session opens with a presentation of Beat the Heat and of the Handbook on Urban Heat Management in the Global South, published by the World Bank, UN-Habitat, and UNEP. This introduction provides practical guidance for city leaders across three interconnected areas: heat risk assessment and urban planning; nature-based and passive cooling solutions; and sustainable procurement of cooling equipment.

The session is structured as an open and substantive exchange: each city representative will briefly present their city’s experience and strategic direction, followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A.

Draft Agenda

Opening session

  • Dr. Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, Founding Director, City Diplomacy Lab
  • Dr. Eleni Myrivili, Global Chief Heat Officer, UNEP/Cool Coalition

City Roundtable

Speakers listed in alphabetical order by city

  • Antalya – Fulya Kandemir, Senior Researcher, Climate Change Division, Climate Change and Zero Waste Department, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality
  • Barcelona – Gloria Hidalga Figueras, Science Technician, Climate Change and Sustainability Office, Barcelona City Council
  • Lagos – Adedoyin Lasisi, Director, Environmental and Social Safeguards, Office of Environmental Services, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources
  • Singapore – Petrina Leo, Deputy Director, Energy & Climate Policy, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE), Singapore

Q&A

Overview of the Series

This session is part of the Our Urban Future webinar series, convened by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the City Diplomacy Lab.

The series explores how locally grounded climate action can be accelerated through inclusive governance, more agile and accessible financing, and partnerships that connect global objectives with municipal realities.

Explore past sessions in the series: