Climate shelters: the antidote to surviving a heat wave without breaking the bank.

BarcelonaRising temperatures in the context of a climate emergency, faster than scientists had predicted, are triggering a race to adapt cities. One of the challenges is to create the maximum number of climate shelters, mostly public spaces (libraries, museums, community centers, community centers) designed to protect the most vulnerable during times of extreme heat. As shelters, they must maintain a maximum temperature of 27 degrees, be easily accessible, have chairs or benches for sitting, and provide free water. However, they do not offer medical care, a service guaranteed only in health centers.

The Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) already has a network of 244 operational shelters., 31% more than last year. Five years ago, there were only twenty. The increase in this network has been stratospheric. A race against time to adapt to unstoppable climate change. "Until now, the goal has been the more shelters, the better," acknowledges Anna Romero, director of Climate Action Services at the AMB.

Because reaching a maximum number is ideal in terms of accessibility. "Our goal is for everyone, especially the vulnerable, to have access to a facility within a ten-minute walk," explains Romero. Currently, more than 80% of the population across the AMB has guaranteed coverage. The city of Barcelona, with its own network of 400 shelters, increases its coverage to 97%..

Every year, city councils open the summer season with announcements about their shelter offerings. This year, the Lleida Paeria has sixty spaces (indoor and outdoor) and has even set up a bank to provide fans to vulnerable people on a timely basis. Tarragona has around thirty spaces, and Girona has sixty more (triple the number just two years ago).

It should be remembered that municipal swimming pools are not, a priori, considered free public shelters, although on days of extreme heat, Many city councils (like Girona recently) open them free of charge for the elderly and disabled..

For its part, The Generalitat has enabled a viewer in which nearly 2,000 climate shelters have been registered (and geolocated) throughout the territory, the vast majority in urban areas..

Premium Services and Night Shelters

Having achieved this increase over the past five years, "citizens are now asking us for these shelters to have more services," Romero explains. Reading and music, internet access, permission to bring pets... There's even talk now of offering night shelters. Tropical nights (with a minimum temperature of over 20 degrees), torrid temperatures (25°C), and the possibility of scorching nights (over 30 degrees) suggest the need to incorporate this service to ensure rest for those without air conditioning at home or even a roof over their heads. City councils currently have their own emergency systems, but it remains to be seen whether proper night shelters will eventually be set up. This will require additional services such as beds and spaces for personal hygiene.

For now, the AMB is participating in several European projects that, in part, are also studying how to adapt existing facilities. Study rooms, without nighttime activities and accessible with electronic cards, are an option being considered, but still in a very early stage.

Air conditioning or the shade of a tree?

The shelter market is especially attractive if they have air conditioning. That's why enclosed spaces are the majority (more than half of the current public offering). Is this the winning model? Environmentalists and naturalists think it's not the ideal option and advocate for an increase in natural spaces, wooded areas, gardens, and parks. "They provide us with a sense of well-being, allow us to connect with nature, and reduce the risk of illness, both physical and mental," argues Mariona Ferrandiz, PhD in Ecology and researcher at the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF)"It's not as fashionable, but it can be worn," Ferrandiz believes, "and it's also much more sustainable." And to all this, we must add the benefits of greater biodiversity in cities: more worms, more birds, more butterflies, and even the arrival of squirrels. "Repopulation will make the space more resilient to environmental changes and disturbances," Ferrandis assures.

The shadows of a mulberry or plane tree are the densest due to the number of leaves, but many claim, without any conclusive scientific basis, that they are more pleasant than those of an awning or the porch of a building.

"We still have a long way to go to improve our cities on a thermal scale," adds Anna Romero. Scientists assure that increasing the number of tree-covered areas can reduce a city's temperature by up to ten degrees.

This naturalization of cities means complying with the 3-30-300 rule. It consists of every inhabitant of a city being able to see at least three trees from their window, that it be in a neighborhood with 30% vegetation cover, and that there be a park within a maximum distance of 300 meters. According to a 2022 study, less than 5% of Barcelona households met this figure.

Another work by the Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) carried out the following year In 93 European cities (including Barcelona, Alicante, Valencia, and Palma), a third of premature deaths caused by heat waves could be avoided by increasing their tree cover by 30%.

Friendly shops

The administration is asking the private sector to join the effort to provide shelter for people from the elements. "Looking ahead to the 2026 campaign, we want to make an open appeal, although many establishments are already historically providing shelter," acknowledges Anna Romero.

Officially, there are already up to nine churches in Barcelona city, clinics, foundations, shopping centers, athenaeums and the private gardens of the San Juan de Dios Health Park (in Sant Boi de Llobregat). But there are more initiatives. This is the case of the campaign that, for the third year, Pimec Comerç Lleida is launchingMore than a thousand establishments in the district (Lleida city, Tàrrega, Balaguer, Mollerussa, Cervera, Alcarràs, and Ponts, among other municipalities) have joined through their associations to welcome everyone. Through a highly visible sticker, they open their doors to anyone seeking shelter. "You don't need to buy anything; you can sit down and ask for some water, you won't have to give any explanation," explains Manel Llaràs, president of Pimec Comerç Lleida.

The merchants argue that it's an attitude inherent to their idiosyncrasy. "It's in our DNA; we're the ones who always give immediate feedback to the people in the neighborhood, the ones who inspire confidence," concludes Llaràs. Success has made The businesses in the Tarragona district plan to follow the same example this year with a campaign identical to the one in the previous year..