This article was originally published by Cities Today

C40 Cities is collaborating with IBM to create an AI-powered tool to help urban leaders tackle extreme heat and the urban heat island effect.

The project, developed under the IBM Sustainability Accelerator programme, seeks to provide cities with data-driven tools to enhance climate resilience and better protect vulnerable communities.

Extreme heat poses serious challenges for cities worldwide, impacting public health, energy resources, and economic stability.

“Extreme heat is one of the most urgent climate risks facing cities today, yet many local governments lack the data and analytical capacity to assess vulnerabilities and take informed action,” a C40 spokesperson told Cities Today. “This project aims to bridge that gap by providing cities with an AI-powered heat risk assessment tool to support data-driven decision-making for climate resilience.”

The AI tool will integrate climate, socio-economic, and spatial data to help cities:

• Identify high-risk areas and vulnerable populations through AI-driven heat mapping and analysis.
• Strengthen early warning systems and enhance emergency response planning.
• Support long-term adaptation strategies with actionable insights for infrastructure planning and cooling measures.

“The tool will empower mayors and urban leaders to make timely, evidence-based decisions, engage stakeholders, and implement targeted measures to protect communities and infrastructure from rising urban heat,” the C40 spokesperson added.

The project is supported by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). The covenant will ensure the tool meets local needs and aligns with climate action plans, while GEO will provide advanced Earth observation data to improve the tool’s accuracy.

The solution is not meant to directly implement adaptation actions but to help cities prioritise interventions such as urban cooling solutions, improved early warning systems, and strategic urban planning. C40 Cities–a network of nearly 100 mayors committed to climate leadership–in collaboration with GCoM, will support cities by connecting them with funding opportunities and implementation partners.

An example of the platform’s potential impact can be seen in Vancouver, where data from the 2021 Heat Dome event was used to design targeted heat-related programmes.

“By identifying high-risk areas and vulnerable populations, the tool will help cities prioritise interventions such as urban cooling solutions, improved early warning systems, and informed urban planning,” the C40 spokesperson explained.

The project will run over two years and will be piloted in selected cities before being scaled for wider use. If successful, the AI tool could support cities worldwide in addressing the escalating threat of extreme heat while promoting urban resilience and sustainability.

The IBM Sustainability Accelerator is a social innovation programme that applies IBM technologies, such as hybrid cloud and AI, and a network of specialists to enhance and scale non-profit and government organisation initiatives.

Image: Valiantsin Suprunovich | Dreamstime.com

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