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Join us for the launch of #HeatSeason in Europe and a “first-ever” announcement by Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis of Athens, Greece. Hosted by Kathy Baughman McLeod, SVP and Director at the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, with remarks from Mayor Juan Espadas of Seville, Spain and renowned scientist Phoebe Koundouri, co-chair of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN of Europe), and Director of the Research Laboratory at Athens University of Economics and Business, High-Level Climate Champion Nigel Topping, a representative of the World Economic Forum, and other European City Mayors, and climate leaders about European efforts to tackle the accelerating climate threat of extreme heat.

Climate change is causing global temperatures to rise, resulting in life-threatening heat waves and record highs that have devastating long-term consequences. July 2021 has already broken heat records across Europe, from Germany, Poland, France and Spain to more northern locations such as Finland and Norway, where physical infrastructure is not well adapted to extreme heat. 104,000 heat-related deaths were recorded amongst the EU’s elderly population – over one third of the global total. Last month the Pacific Northwest of the US and Canada experienced a heat wave that claimed more than 900 lives. No continent has gone unscathed and research shows that sweltering conditions will continue to increase in severity. This is our new normal but it doesn’t have to be.

Commitments by cities to deploy scalable solutions signal the urgent need for local governments to dedicate resources to combat the growing risks and impacts of extreme heat, especially for vulnerable communities.

Welcome remarks

Adrienne Arsht
Executive Vice Chair
Founder, Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center  and Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

Opening remarks

Kathy Baughman McLeod
Director and SVP, Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center
Atlantic Council 

Speaker remarks

Kostas Bakoyannis
Mayor
Athens, Greece 

Lenio Myrivili 
Former Deputy Mayor
Athens, Greece 

Mauricio Rodas
Former Mayor
Quito, Ecuador;
Co-chair
World Economic Forum’s Global Commission on BiodiverCities by 2030;
Senior Fellow, Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center
Atlantic Council

Juan Espadas
Mayor
Seville, Spain 

Phoebe Koundouri
University Professor
School of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business; 
Co-Chair
United Nations Sustainable Development Network (UN SDSN) – Europe;
President-elect
European Association of Environmental and Natural Resource Economists 

Kostas Lagouvardos
Research Director
National Observatory of Athens

Nigel Topping
High-Level Climate Action Champion, UK
COP26

Lauren Sorkin
Executive Director
Resilient Cities Network

Dr. Aaron Bernstein
Director, Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Senior Fellow, Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center
Atlantic Council

Audience Q&A and closing remarks

Moderator

Kathy Baughman McLeod
Director and SVP, Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center
Atlantic Council