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Where can we go to escape the heat? The concept of a “climate shelter” is becoming more popular as a solution. In a wave of intense heat, such as those experienced in Lisbon and other European cities in recent times, some places can offer relief and coolness for the population.

These can be public parks and gardens, libraries, civic centres, museums, or schools, open during the day to receive people who are vulnerable to extreme temperatures.

“The heat island effect is intensified in these heat waves and usually happens in cities,” says data scientist Manuel Banza.

“This is because we have cities that are densely built, and we have a lot of tarmac that absorbs the sun, and at the end of the day, we see that at six or seven in the evening, it’s still possible to be very hot, even though it’s no longer sunny, because the ground has absorbed it”, Banza told Euronews.

“Then we have several buildings and often narrow streets, which makes it difficult for the air to circulate,” he explained.

The data scientist published a paper identifying possible climate refuges in Lisbon, the Portuguese capital.

On an interactive map of the city, he superimposed cartography showing the intensity of the urban heat island effect and added the location of gardens, fountains, drinking fountains, public swimming pools, and libraries.

In Lisbon, where thermal discomfort in homes is a reality, the City Council has yet to promote a network, but Manuel Banza’s map can be a valuable aid.

“There’s a wide temperature range in homes, and Lisbon is one of the worst cities in Europe in terms of energy efficiency, which means that both in summer and winter, people have trouble heating or cooling their homes.

And so there is a municipal and public responsibility here for us to transform public space into a space that is an extension of our homes”, he argues.

More than half of Lisbon residents who took part in an Energy and Environment Agency survey on energy poverty reported feeling thermal discomfort in their homes, both in summer (56.5 percent) and winter (63.2 percent).

In addition to discomfort, heat is also associated with increased mortality. Between 28 June and 3 July this year, Portugal recorded 284 excess deaths.

Barcelona sets an example for the rest of Europe

Meanwhile, perhaps there is something to learn from Barcelona, the Spanish city that has led the way in setting up a network of climate shelters, with more than 400 sites, serving as a model for the rest of Europe’s cities.

Analysts say what really makes the Catalan city a great example is the clear criteria for defining what a refuge is.

According to Ana Terra Amorim-Maia, a researcher specialising in urban climate adaptation at the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), “Not just any space is automatically a climate refuge.”

“For them to respond to the needs of those populations who are most vulnerable to extreme temperatures, they need to have at least these minimum criteria; they need to have a covered space where people can sit, can drink water, and can use the toilet,” Terra Amorim-Maia told Euronews.