City Champions for Heat Action

Who are the City Champions for Heat Action?

Arsht-Rock mobilizes mayors recognized for their leadership on climate mitigation and adaptation through its City Champions for Heat Action (CCHA) initiative. By working with local leaders, our Center advances urban climate resilience locally and globally. CCHA provides a platform for mayors to learn from each other, collaborate, and collectively advocate for resilience in high-level, international processes.

In each of our partner cities, City Champions drive local impact through their innovative solutions that can be scaled and replicated across cities. They develop and implement policies as well as financial and health-based solutions that protect their residents from the dangers of extreme heat. CCHA is made up of eight cities, seven of which are also home to Chief Heat Officers (CHO).

Together with CCHA mayors, we identify, develop, and implement the strategies and priorities that put local heat resilience solutions and policies on the global agenda.

Why should cities lead on heat resilience?

Cities are already hot and set to become even hotter. In just a few decades, over 1.6 billion city dwellers will be regularly exposed to three-month average temperatures of at least 35°C (95°F).

As cities become home to even more people, they have a unique opportunity and responsibility. Through meaningful policies and solutions, they can adapt to and mitigate the dangerous impacts of extreme heat to protect millions.

What do CCHA cities do?

CCHA cities drive climate resilience through targeted advocacy work and innovative solutions. Our partner mayors build local and global climate resilience and collaborate on meaningful international policies, like the Global Cooling Pledge. They implement and scale solutions, advocate for local and regional policies that protect people from heat, and foster both climate adaptation and mitigation on the international agenda. Already, their local actions for climate have led to significant progress on the climate agenda.

From our CCHA event at COP27 to featured publications highlighting the role of cities, CCHA ensures that the international conversation on climate change considers both urban adaptation and mitigation concerns. Through CCHA’s global advocacy work, the United Nations has appointed the first Global Chief Heat Officer. Global CHO Eleni Myrivili works with UN HABITAT to further articulate the role of cities and mayors to address urban extreme heat within the United Nations.

5 Heat Action Plans

Five CCHA cities have launched Extreme Heat Action Plans to coordinate responses to extreme heat. These plans help coordinate heat responses across multiple departments and organizations.

1 million trees planted

CCHA cities have planted over 1 million trees and are committed to planting over 3 million in the coming years.

8 Chief Heat Officers appointed

CCHA mayors have appointed Chief Heat Officers (CHO) in 7 of our partner cities. The CHOs create local heat resilience solutions that protect lives and livelihoods.

100+ cooling centers

Over 100 cooling centers have been identified or created across CCHA cities, giving people a safe haven and access to critical resources when temperatures rise.

Advancing international heat resilience

At COP28, the Global Cooling Pledge was announced as the first global collective action that aims to reduce the cooling sector’s emissions. Arsht-Rock and Global Chief Heat Officer for UN-HABITAT Eleni Myrivili supported the development of the Pledge and engaged CCHA mayors to develop related subnational commitments. To date, seven CCHA cities have signed on to the Pledge.

Piloting climate resilience solutions

Our partner city Seville, Spain, is home to the world’s first health-based system to officially categorize and name heat waves. The pilot was launched in 2022 and has since identified heat waves that have risen to the most dangerous category and thus received a name. The system has brought attention to the dangers of extreme heat, and Arsht-Rock completed an assessment of the pilot’s impact. Our CCHA cities and mayors advance innovative solutions, protecting their residents and cities from the impacts of extreme heat.

Putting cities on the COP agenda

The COP28 Presidency and UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions Michael R. Bloomberg hosted the Local Climate Action Summit, which included subnational leaders in the official COP program and process for the first time in the conference’s history. Thanks to the leadership of local officials like CCHA mayors, the world is taking note of the powerful opportunities for cities to lead on climate change.

Meet the City Champions for Heat Action mayors

Since its launch in April 2021, CCHA has engaged climate leaders that advance global resilience and adaptation solutions. From their work with Arsht-Rock through their Chief Heat Officers to their innovative advocacy and project implementation, CCHA mayors are a shining example of the powerful ways local leaders can drive global impact. To date, Arsht-Rock works with eight partner cities and their mayors.