- The World Meteorological Organisation confirmed 2023 as the warmest year on record, prompting the City of Cape Town to hold discussions on heat interventions.
- Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews met with various stakeholders to address extreme heat risks highlighted by the city’s heat mapping research.
- The discussions also focused on the implementation of the City’s Heat Action Plan to effectively respond to heat events and reduce their impact on public services and businesses.
In the State of the Global Climate 2023 report, the World Meteorological Organisation confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global average near-surface temperature at 1,45 °C.
And as the earths temperature continues to rise with record breaking temperatures across the world, the City of Cape Town last week held discussions on interventions needed to tackle extreme heat in the summer months, especially the impact thereof on poor communities.
The talks follow the Cape Town heat mapping research conducted in February this year.
It showed a range of temperatures, but the highest ambient temperature of 41,6 °C was recorded in the Woodstock area.
While the focus of this particular exercise was on measuring heat in the public realm, it also forms the foundation for deeper engagements on heat risk and interventions in vulnerable communities.
“On a household level, how the high temperatures are experienced in low-income areas and areas of informality is typically very different to the middle to high-income areas where there is generally more vegetation and resources to respond to heat,” said Andrews.
READ: 300 trees planted in Brackenfell, Cape Town to fight climate change
He said it was critical that local government, together with private and public sector partners, lead from the front to protect the most vulnerable from extreme weather.
Silent emergencies
Extreme heat and heat waves are described by the World Health Organisation as silent emergencies that are among the most dangerous of natural hazards, and yet it is a risk that is often discounted as being a normal part of summer in warm and hot climates.
According to Andrews climate change projections for Cape Town indicate that average temperatures, high heat days and heat waves are set to increase in length, frequency, and intensity.
READ: Bloubergstrand’s coastline shrinking, surveys finds
In preparation for this, the City’s Heat Action Plan was approved in November 2023.
The plan focuses on readiness to ensure effective planning to reduce the risk of heat events impacting on City service delivery or business continuity; and responding to the impacts of heat on the public shortly before and during a heat wave or high heat day.
Bradley Riley, disaster and climate risk specialist at the World Bank, said data collection can equip city leaders with the knowledge to address future impacts of extreme heat, while building citizen support for action.
He referred to community heat mapping campaigns, that demonstrate an established methodology to measure temperature differences across a city.
he said.
Heat mapping campaign
In the local heat mapping campaign done by Heat Watch Cape Town earlier in the year, a detailed city-scale heat map was produced that inform urban planning and emergency management decisions.
The campaign was implemented by local NGO CORC and CAPA Strategies who provided the sensor equipment and data analysis.
During the campaign 30 volunteers from across vulnerable communities in Cape Town were mobilised to take part in the mapping of heat and share their observations and experience of heat. This helped to sensitise the community around heat risks in order that they can take pro-active measures within their own environment.
The citizen scientists fixed heat sensors onto cars and drove along pre-planned routes across the city collecting thousands of temperature measurements to compile a heat map.
According to data gathered, locations most at risk to heat are dense urban areas, industrial areas and informal settlements where a lack of greening has a profound impact.
Andrews said Cape Town’s workforce is at particular risk, specifically those working outdoors whose exposure to heat for long periods of time can have devastating health impacts.
READ: More fires this summer due to the El Niño climate event
In addition to the Heat Action Plan, various other City strategies and policies will address long-term heat mitigation measures aimed at reducing the urban heat island effect, according to Andrews.
This, through the implementation of green infrastructure-related projects, long-term heat adaptation measures in terms of green building design and the mitigation of heat being integrated into the City’s Municipal Spatial Development Framework as a planning consideration.
Andrews emphasised that longer-term planning is important especially as Cape Town passes the five million population mark.
