Cities including Miami and Athens are hiring 'Chief Heat Officers' to help businesses and residents survive extreme heat

Tourists sit next to a fan as they have a drink on the terrace of a streetside cafe during a week-long heatwave in Athens on August 2, 2021 - Greece is suffering its worst heatwave since 1987, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned on August 2, as forecasters said temperatures could hit 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) later. — Greece suffered its worst heatwave since 1987 this August, as temperatures reached 111 degrees. A small town in Sicily, Italy recorded 124 degrees - believed to be the highest temperature in European history.
LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP via Getty Images

Athens appointed Europe's first 'Chief Heat Officer' to help the city combat deadly heatwaves.
The mayor of Athens said the heat is threatening "tourists who are critical for our economy."
Miami appointed the world's first CHO in May to explore new ways to cool the city down.
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This summer, governments in Florida, Greece, and Sierra Leone have pledged to hire 'Chief Heat Officers' to combat deadly heatwaves that threaten local businesses and tourism.

The mayors of Miami, Athens, and Freetown are introducing the new job title as part of the Atlantic Council's Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance.

The three cities are classified as "urban heat islands," meaning the design and construction of the cities absorb and re-emit heat, causing recent record-breaking temperatures to climb even higher.

Athens reached 111 degrees earlier this summer as wildfires north of the city destroyed local homes, Reuters reported. Two weeks ago, a small town in Sicily, Italy hit 124 degrees - believed to be the hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe.

"I have a vision for a cooler, greener Athens," Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis said in July. "Climate change for our city means more frequent and dangerous extreme high temperatures for residents and for tourists who are critical for our economy."

Kathy Baughman McLeod, SVP and director of the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center at the Atlantic Council, told Insider that the impacts of extreme heat go beyond health issues.

"Airports shut down, metro systems shut down, kitchen workers are too exposed so restaurants close, schools close because it's too hot, so parents have to come home from work," she told Insider. "I mean there are just immense impacts and hidden costs."

Greek officials warned tourists and citizens to avoid unnecessary work and travel, according to the Reuters report. Even the Acropolis, the city's most popular monument among tourists, was forced to close due to the heat.

Residential areas in Athens northern suburbs were evacuated after wildfires reached the outskirts of the city as Greece is suffering its worst heatwave in decades.
Gerasimos Koilakos/NurPhoto via Getty Images

As the ancient city dealt with the modern repercussions of a hotter future, Eleni Myrivili was appointed as Athens' Chief Heat Officer, the first 'CHO' in all of Europe.

Myrivili said in a press release that she looks forward to "helping decision-makers take action to cool the city and protect people and their communities."

"We've been talking about global warming for decades, but we haven't talked much about heat," she added.

The job title first appeared in Miami-Dade county this May when Jane Gilbert was tasked with exploring new ways to prevent heat-related deaths in the area.

Gilbert said initiatives could include investing in cooling centers, creating more protections for outdoor workers, and improving housing conditions, The Guardian first reported.

According to The Atlantic Council, extreme urban heat is one of the deadliest threats resulting from the climate crisis. However, heatwaves are given less attention than highly visible hurricanes or tsunamis, making them harder to combat.

A University of Washington study published on Friday reported a 74% increase in extreme heat-related deaths from 1980 to 2016, CNN reported. Despite CDC guidance that heat-related illnesses are preventable, hundreds of people died this summer alone during the Pacific Northwest's heat dome.

"Unfortunately, Athens is not unique," Bakoyannis said. "Heat is an emergency for cities across Europe and the world."

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