As Europe confronts increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves, the conversation around climate adaptation is shifting from environmental policy to public health, education, and social infrastructure. Haxie Meyers-Belkin is pleased to welcome Caradee Wright, Chief Specialist Scientist at the South African Medical Research Council leading the Climate and Health Research Programme. She argues that schools have become one of the clearest frontlines of climate change. Her analysis moves beyond the immediate debate over air conditioning to present a more systemic vision of heat resilience, combining architecture, behavioural adaptation, public awareness, and educational policy.Rather than framing extreme heat as a temporary disruption, Wright treats it as a defining condition of the coming decades that demands structural change. She highlights children's unique physiological vulnerability, questions whether historic school buildings remain fit for a warming climate, and argues that protecting education requires redesigning both physical spaces and institutional routines.
'Living in a warming world requires practical solutions that save lives, don't harm our environment'
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Story Timeline
Wed 10:43 - Euronews
‘This isn’t just another hot week’: Europe to swelter in 40°C with experts warning of hidden dangers
Fri 06:37 - Euronews
'Explosive cocktail': El Niño raises fears of summer wildfires in Portugal
Fri 14:22 - Sky News (UK)
'Muggier' heatwave could hit 34C as extreme heat warning issued
Fri 23:39 - BBC Headlines
Cooler Saturday gives brief relief before heat returns
Sat 08:48 - Euronews
France swelters in heatwave as temperatures look set to hit 40C
Sat 11:45 - Sky News (UK)
Europe swelters as heatwave intensifies - with temperatures of up to 44C forecast
Sat 12:45 - France 24
Europe swelters in gruelling heatwave, authorities ramp up warnings
Sat 15:50 - France 24
France swelters under record-breaking temperatures
Sat 23:01 - Sky News (UK)
Four-day extreme heat warning issued
Sun 11:25 - The Hill
Extreme heat expected again at the Grand Canyon after 3 hikers die in heat-related incidents
Sun 12:48 - BBC Headlines
Extreme heat warning extended to four days as temperatures could hit 38C
Sun 16:45 - Al Jazeera English
The looming Super El Nino
Sun 18:05 - DW All
Severe heat wave sweeps Europe, triggering alerts and disruptions
Sun 18:05 - DW Top
Severe heat wave sweeps Europe, triggering alerts and disruptions
Mon 07:41 - DW All
Germany news: Could heatwave temperatures hit 40°C?
Mon 07:41 - DW Top
Germany news: Could heatwave temperatures hit 40°C?
Mon 10:26 - France 24
France struggles to deal with new heatwave amid punishing temperatures
Mon 10:32 - BBC Headlines
Schools close as more than half of France under red heat alerts
Mon 10:43 - Euronews
What are tropical nights? Inside the deadly phenomenon hiding behind Europe’s blistering heatwave
Mon 11:40 - NYT Europe
What to Know About Heat in Europe This Week
Mon 11:51 - Financial Times
Met Office issues rare red weather warning as heatwave hits UK
Mon 13:20 - France 24
French heatwave drives up demand for AC, despite concerns
Mon 13:24 - France 24
Europe under red alert amid exceptional early heatwave
Mon 14:34 - France 24
France tries to cope with exceptionally high temperatures
Mon 14:42 - Euronews
Three dead in France as record-breaking heatwave grips country
Mon 14:58 - France 24
How can France adapt to recurrent heatwaves?
Mon 15:44 - DW All
Europe on red alert for record-breaking heat
Mon 15:44 - DW Top
Europe on red alert for record-breaking heat
Mon 16:49 - Euronews
UK hospital declared critical incident as heatwave drives surge in demand
Mon 16:58 - BBC Headlines
Temperatures could hit 40C in UK as rare red heat warning issued
Mon 23:03 - BBC Headlines
UK set for hottest June day on record as searing heat continues
Tue 07:08 - Euronews
Spain faces toughest day of heatwave: red alerts and San Juan bonfires cancelled
Tue 08:26 - Euronews
Alpine glacier melts faster as second heatwave hits France
Tue 10:16 - France 24
France tries to handle extreme temperatures as heatwave carries on
Tue 10:22 - France 24
Europe faces warmest year on record as heatwave batters continent
Tue 11:51 - DW All
Europe heat wave: France measures hottest-ever day
Tue 11:51 - DW Top
Europe heat wave: France measures hottest-ever day
Tue 21:52 - France 24
Outdoor workers battle soaring temperatures as France sees hottest day since records began
Tue 21:54 - France 24
France record heatwave sees 'hairdryer effect' threaten crops
Wed 02:26 - BBC Headlines
Hundreds of schools plan closures ahead of red heat alerts
Wed 04:40 - France 24
France’s latest heatwave: ‘Temperatures will fall, and we won’t talk about it anymore’
Wed 05:57 - Al Jazeera English
Deadly heatwave grips Europe as temperatures soar across continent
Wed 06:32 - France 24
France outage leaves 68,000 homes without power as record heatwave spreads north
Wed 07:45 - Al Jazeera English
Power outage in France as Europe bakes in record heat
Wed 07:47 - The Bulletin (BE)
Several Brussels schools and creches close at lunchtime due to extreme heat
Wed 08:48 - BBC Europe
France braces for another day of sweltering heat as Europe heatwave spreads
Wed 09:20 - France 24
Hospitals on red alert as France sees hottest day ever
Wed 09:46 - France 24
Europe wilts under record temperatures as heatwave sweeps continent
Wed 10:17 - Euronews
Heatwave and wildfire alerts, power cuts in Finistère: France swelters
Wed 11:09 - France 24
France on red alert for forest fires amid extreme heat
Wed 13:07 - Al Jazeera English
Deaths, disruptions across Europe: What you should know about the heatwave
Wed 16:18 - France 24
Reduced hours and 'climate leave': How Spain has adapted to heatwaves
Wed 16:32 - France 24
'Climate adaptation increasingly means redesigning infrastructure for a hotter climate'
Thu 07:36 - DW All
Why Germans don't have air conditioning
Thu 07:36 - DW Top
Why Germans don't have air conditioning
Thu 16:57 - France 24
‘Like working in a kettle’: France’s overcrowded prisons swelter under historic heatwave
Fri 09:20 - Al Jazeera English
‘London cooking’: Why can’t the UK cope with the heat; when will it adapt?
Fri 12:48 - Euronews
The jobs most exposed to extreme heat — and why it matters for Europe's economy