Governor Claudio Orrego and the Atlantic Council announce new Chief Heat Officer for Santiago de Chile
Thu, Jul 25, 2024
WASHINGTON DC – July 25, 2024 – Governor Claudio Orrego and the Atlantic Council’s Arsht-Rock Resilience Center (Arsht-Rock) announced today that Patricia Pasten is Santiago de Chile’s newest Chief Heat Officer (CHO). She succeeds Cristina Huidobro, who held the position since March 2022.
“Santiago de Chile is committed to confronting the challenges of extreme heat and climate change head-on. I am proud to continue the vital work of protecting the people of this city with the appointment of Patricia Pasten as our new Chief Heat Officer. I look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Arsht-Rock Resilience Center to increase resilience to extreme heat,” Orrego said.
Arsht-Rock created and piloted the world’s first CHO positions under its City Champions for Heat Action (CCHA) initiative to unify city governments’ responses to extreme heat. As a key member of CCHA, Santiago has been at the forefront of climate action. It was the first city in South America to create a CHO position. Under the leadership of Orrego, who has been governor of the Santiago Metropolitan Region since July 2021, the office of the Chief Heat Officer enacted a first of its kind regional protocol for extreme heat, provided cooling benefits to half a million people through its expansive urban greening program, and mainstreamed heat resilience in regional government city planning.
“It is an incredible honor to step into the position of Chief Heat Officer for Santiago, following in the footsteps of my esteemed predecessor, Cristina Huidobro,” Pasten said. “Before my appointment, we worked closely together on the Brotar program, the city’s urban greening program that aims to plant 30,000 trees. I’m enthusiastic about expanding upon this initiative and other endeavors aimed at enhancing heat resilience, implementing solutions that create a cooler, more sustainable future for Santiago.”
In Chile, Santiago is one of the regions most affected by extreme heat waves, only behind the Atacama Desert. The summer of 2024 saw temperatures spike to 36.7 degrees Celsius (98.1 degrees Fahrenheit), the third-highest recorded temperature in over a century. The frequency of extremely hot summer days in Santiago during the summer is projected to double by mid-century, and the average temperature in South America could surge by over 6℃ by the close of the century. Arsht-Rock will work closely with Pasten to identify, develop, and implement strategies and interventions that accelerate heat resilience in the short term while laying a foundation for enduring heat protection and cooling measures.
“We are thrilled to welcome Patricia as the next Chief Heat Officer for Santiago de Chile,” said Jorge Gastelumendi, Senior Director of Arsht-Rock. “Her extensive experience and profound understanding of the city and its inhabitants make her the perfect choice to continue advancing Santiago’s status as a leader in heat action and a staunch advocate for safeguarding individuals from extreme heat.”
Pasten has previously worked as an urban advisor, offering guidance on urban development initiatives, spearheading the coordination of the update of the Constitución Communal Regulatory Plan (PRCC), strategizing its development and managing collaborative efforts with key stakeholders, including public institutions and academic entities like the University of Chile’s Faculty of Architecture.
About the Arsht-Rock Resilience Center
The Arsht-Rock Resilience Center builds individual and community resilience in the face of climate impacts. We pledge to reach one billion people around the world with resilience solutions to climate change by 2030. For more information visit onebillionresilient.org, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
