CMCC cooling shelters
March 26th 2026| Venezia Ca Foscari, Aula Partesotti

Europe is a climate change hotspot. Despite the implementation of adaptation interventions since the 2003 heatwave, the number of heat-related fatalities continues to grow. In response, municipalities have started offering extreme heat services and spaces, often as part of heat action plans. While these have become popular in some states (eg. United States and Spain), they are still in their infancy in Italy. Climate shelters or cooling centres often provide more than just venues for shelter during extreme events; they also raise resilience, fostering social interaction, social services and raising awareness of climate resilience and adaptation. In this sense, climate shelters also provide opportunities to promote social cohesion and the co-creation of social capital. Community-based adaptation strategies, such as climate refuges and cooling centres, also offer new ways to collect primary data that can improve our understanding of adaptation effectiveness and limitations. Indeed, climate change adaptation is generally under-represented in administrative and census data and population-based surveys, so a dedicated effort is required to collect more evidence on adaptation effectiveness to inform policy.

This workshop will bring together some of Italy’s and Europe’s existing cooling shelter, centre and refuge initiatives for the first time. The workshop will provide an opportunity to learn about recent cooling shelter initiatives. The ultimate goal is to explore the potential for, and interest in, establishing a Cooling Centre Research Network (CCRN), led by Ca’ Foscari and the Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC). The CCRN would facilitate harmonised and coordinated data collection and analysis, the organisation of events and training, and communication activities to maximise the visibility and social impact of these initiatives. The CCRN will also seek to identify funding opportunities.  The event will offer the opportunity to five initiatives to present their actions.

Agenda:
9:30 – 10:00  Opening remarks and the Venice experience
10.00-10.20  Evidence from a European project: Heatsafe
10:00-12:40  Five slots for 30-minute presentations by participants
12:40-13:15  General discussion and next steps
13:30-14:30 Light lunch