Extreme heat summit to urge leaders to act on threat from rising temperatures

People walk on a dried-out riverbed in Chongqing, China, in August 2022. One study says China is on track for between 20,000 and 80,000 heatwave deaths a year. Photograph: EPA

Two of the world’s biggest aid agencies will host an inaugural global summit on extreme heat on Thursday as directors warn that the climate crisis is dramatically increasing the probability of a mass-fatality heat disaster.

The conference will highlight some of the pioneering work being done, from tree-planting projects to the development of reflective roof coverings that reduce indoor temperatures.