Toolkit
![Beating the Heat: A Sustainable Cooling Handbook for Cities](/sites/default/files/styles/publication/public/2022-03/Beat%20the%20Heat.jpg?itok=FQda4MAY)
Beating the Heat
A Sustainable Cooling Handbook for Cities
This handbook was launched at COP26 and provides case studies from cities around the world that demonstrate how to sustainably tackle the urban heat island effect.
With growing populations – predominantly in the tropics – and rapid urbanization, the impact of global warming is felt most acutely in cities. Research shows that the world’s cities are heating up at twice the global average rate due to the urban heat island effect – a phenomenon where urban areas experience higher temperatures than outlying areas due to a combination of diminishing green cover, heat gain and thermal properties of the materials commonly used in urban surfaces, as well as waste heat from human activities (such as industrial processes, transport and air conditioning).
This guide by UNEP offers planners an encyclopedia of proven options to help cool cities sustainably, providing improved health and productivity, economic benefits, and reduced power usage and emissions. The guide’s 80 supporting case studies and examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the strategies outlined and can help cities find an approach best suited to their unique contexts.
Learn more
![A man cools off at a splash pad in downtown Algiers, Algeria, where temperatures hit 42°C amid a heatwave that is roasting much of North Africa.](/sites/default/files/styles/16_9_medium/public/2023-08/afp.com-20230711-partners-075-app-notitle230710_npNtp-highres.jpg?itok=HM-_DhrD)
How Nature Can Help Cities Fend Off Record-Smashing Heat
As recorded temperatures have spiked to new levels this summer, it's more important than ever that cities invest in green to mitigate extreme heat.
![people walking down a city street into the sun](/sites/default/files/styles/16_9_medium/public/2024-07/kirill-fokin_unsplash.jpg?itok=wVhHvRyH)
Webinar on Extreme Urban Heat: Opportunities to Mitigate Risks in Cities
In this webinar, UrbanShift and WRI will lead a conversation with cities and experts on effective strategies to cool down urban areaas.
![an aerial view of a green city](/sites/default/files/styles/16_9_medium/public/2023-10/alec-douglas-MJ7yhD3kz7o-unsplash.jpg?itok=_ecZhGGb)
UrbanShift at World Forum on Urban Forests: Leveraging urban biodiversity & forests to create inclusive and equitable cities
This session, held during the World Forum on Urban Forests, will bring together leaders to discuss their experience in creating sustainable and resilient cities through urban nature-based solutions.
![a street vendor stands under an umbrella for shade](/sites/default/files/styles/16_9_medium/public/2024-07/pexels-bruno-makori-774974101-22699696%20%281%29.jpg?itok=z9Nd-qt3)
How Cities can Support Workers in Extreme Heat
Cities can play an important role in ensuring decent conditions for vulnerable workers, protecting them from the effects of extreme heat and promoting the right to healthy and safe workplaces. Here’s how cities can get started.