Beat the Heat Programme
Context: Maharashtra has announced that 30 cities have joined the global “Beat the Heat” programme during Mumbai Climate Week 2026.
About Beat the Heat Programme:
What is Beat the Heat?
- Beat the Heat is a global climate initiative aimed at accelerating action against extreme heat through sustainable cooling and urban resilience strategies.
- It translates the Global Cooling Pledge into practical, city-level implementation.
Launched In:
- Announced under the COP30 Presidency (Brazil).
- Supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) through the Cool Coalition.
Aim:
- Cut greenhouse gas emissions from cooling systems while promoting energy-efficient and low-carbon technologies.
- Protect vulnerable populations by integrating affordable cooling and climate-adaptive measures into city planning.
Key Features:
- Heat Risk Assessment: Supports cities in mapping heat vulnerability and identifying hotspots.
- Nature-Based Cooling: Promotes urban greening, tree cover expansion, and shaded public spaces.
- Passive Cooling Solutions: Encourages cool roofs, reflective surfaces, and climate-sensitive building design.
- Efficient Cooling Technologies: Pushes for low-energy air-conditioning and low global-warming refrigerants.
- Policy Integration: Integrates heat resilience into urban planning, building codes, and infrastructure design.
- Financial and Institutional Support: Assists cities in accessing climate finance and strengthening implementation capacity.
Significance:
- Climate Adaptation Imperative: Addresses extreme heat, which causes more annual deaths globally than floods and storms combined.
- Urban Focus: Targets urban heat island effects, where temperatures can be up to 10°C higher than rural areas.
NOTE: There are actually two distinct global initiatives with the exact same name, each run by a different organization.
- The UNEP “Beat the Heat” – Focus on urban infrastructure and cooling.
- The WHO “Beat the Heat” – Focus on human health and safety in sports event.