Urban heat resilience and wellbeing - tackling the effects of extreme heat in resource-constrained dry cities

Led by Earthna, Center for a Sustainable Future, this town hall session and networking event explores how rising temperatures are reshaping life in some of the world’s most climate-exposed cities. During the first half of the event, speakers will hold a curated conversation on the unique environmental challenges faced by hot and arid urban areas, including water scarcity, urban heat islands, fragile ecosystems, and rapid urbanisation, and how these pressures interact to intensify heat risks. Focusing on people at the centre of the discussion, the conversation will highlight the impacts of extreme heat on health, wellbeing, livelihoods, and social equity in urban environments, with particular attention to vulnerable populations. Speakers will discuss practical and scalable approaches to mitigation and adaptation, such as climate-responsive urban design, nature-based solutions, cooling strategies, governance and policy interventions, and community-led responses. They will also present Earthna’s Arid Cities Network, a platform for cities to share knowledge, advocate for heat-resilient policies, and support each other to build long-term resilience in the face of a warming climate. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask further questions towards the speakers, before the event moves to a wider networking opportunity.