How Paris is preparing for the health threats of the Olympic Games

Hot and humid conditions now play an increasingly major role during Olympic events. Under the long tail of climate change, cities hosting the games must add heat to the long list of health threats to prepare for.“When you gather a large amount of people in a hot city like Paris it’s a concern,” says Jan Semenza, a former scientist at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, who has worked on heat adaptation strategies in cities.The Summer Olympics are held between July and September, months that have the highest risk of seasonal heatwaves. Air pollution also peaks during this period, and the risks of dengue fever and other mosquito borne diseases are on the rise.Beat the heatParis has been adapting to rising temperatures since a 2003 European heatwave that saw the hottest summer recorded in Europe since at least 1540. In the city alone, around 15 000 people were…
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