This Mediterranean country is opening air-conditioned shelters to protect locals from heatwaves

The world is changing, and not always for the better. Unfortunately, global temperatures rose again this year, and weather-related natural disasters are becoming commonplace in places that aren’t equipped to handle them. Between hurricanes, heatwaves, and devastating wildfires, billions of people are now at risk of being displaced or harmed by climate change.

But humans are tough. We aren’t just accepting our imminent doom, we’re working to be prepared next time disaster strikes – at least that’s what officials in Spain are aiming for with the construction of brand-new ‘climate shelters’ across the country.

Spain has directly felt the effects of a warming planet, with parts of the country reaching record high temperatures of 46C this summer. While the south gets the hottest, central areas surrounding Madrid were hit by wildfires in August, prompting the government to take further steps to safeguard the population.

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Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez explained his plans to introduce climate shelters – public spaces which anyone can enter to cool down during what he described as ‘devastating droughts and heatwaves’ – at a climate change conference in Madrid this week. He added that the 40C+ summer months are ‘now the new normal’, and pledged to support the Spanish people as they adjust and learn to cope.

The shelters will have air conditioning, complimentary water and plenty of spaces to sit. Some regional governments, including in Catalonia (home to Barcelona) have already begun to roll them out to much approval from the public.

Now, these cool-boxes will be set up across the country, but places ‘where the heat really hits people the hardest’ will be prioritised first. This means areas that already have shelters, or that get less intense heat, might have to wait. The goal is to have a good number of refuges up and running before summer 2026 hits.

At the conference, Sanchez also announced that flood prevention plans will be introduced in response to heavy rainfall and flooding in parts of Spain this year, and pledged an additional €20 million towards fire prevention.

Wrapping up the conference, Sanchez implored rival political leaders to get on board with his proposals, describing what he had outlined as ‘a shield for Spain’.

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