Building urban heat resilience: Global Heat Resilience Service autumn update
The Global Heat Resilience Service is increasingly well positioned to help address the estimated ~500,000 annual deaths linked to extreme heat, focusing on vulnerable urban communities.
Global Heat Resilience Service added to GEO Work Programme
In May, the Global Heat Resilience Service was formally accepted into the Post-2025 GEO Work Programme at the GEO Global Forum in Rome, anchoring the initiative across GEO’s strategic areas: Climate, Energy & Urbanisation; One Health; and Disaster Resilience. This enables the initiative to respond directly to the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on extreme heat.
Partnerships driving progress
C40 Cities-IBM-GEO collaboration (IBM Sustainability Accelerator): Up to $3m in resources, AI/ML expertise and a proven co-design methodology to rapidly prototype a digital decision-support tool with cities.
China pilot (Alibaba Cloud and Shanghai Haina Academy of Engineering): New initiative to pilot the Global Heat Resilience Service in the Yangtze River Delta, kicking off with a two-day workshop in Shanghai to scope scenarios with stakeholders from Shanghai and Hangzhou.
Scientific backbone (Horizon Europe iClimateAction, co-designed with WMO): Ensuring methodologies are rigorous and city-relevant.
Progress across the three core components
Data and methodology
We are adapting the IPCC hazard–exposure–vulnerability framework to neighbourhood scales (100–250 m) to help us define what Earth observation, geospatial and socio-economic inputs are needed and how AI/modelling can integrate them to generate actionable local insights. These methods are being tested through partnerships with IBM and Alibaba Cloud.
Decision-support tools
The GEO-C40-IBM collaboration is progressing toward a March 2026 Minimum Viable Product, with pilots underway in Brazil, India, Sierra Leone, Europe and China.
Heat governance and policy
The Global Heat Resilience Service is contributing to the WMO-UNDRR Heat Solutions Package, helping align a common UN approach to heat resilience. Engagement with city networks is shaping guidance on planning and implementation.
Engagement and outreach
The Global Heat Resilience Service was showcased at the GEO Global Forum in Rome and the UNDRR Global Platform in Geneva.
Next, we’ll be at the EuroGEO Workshop (The Hague) and the C40 Mayors Summit (Rio), where Brazilian pilot cities will present early results.
What’s next
- Finalise and document the neighbourhood-scale methodology.
- Advance tool prototyping with pilot cities in Brazil, India and China; consolidate lessons from Sierra Leone and Europe.
- Strengthen partnerships and resource mobilisation.
- Launch new communications materials on heat risk and city action.
- Prepare for the C40-IBM scale-up phase beginning in spring/summer 2026.
We look forward to sharing pilot results and announcing new partnerships in our November 2025 update as this collaboration continues to scale.
Thank you for your continued support in building resilience to one of today’s most urgent climate risks.