Euskadi now offers 488 climate refuges spread across 11 municipalities, allowing people to seek shelter from the heat in existing, cooled public spaces. These include libraries, civic centers with air conditioning, parks offering shade and greenery, and plazas equipped with green areas and fountains.
These spaces are designed for use during exceptional temperature events to mitigate the negative health impacts of heat. They are specifically intended to protect vulnerable individuals, the elderly, children, and those with health conditions.
In addition to the three main capitals, refuges can be found in Amurrio (Álava), Barakaldo and Gernika (Bizkaia), and in Bergara, Hernani, Irun, Pasaia, and Tolosa (Gipuzkoa). This initiative benefits over one million people.
The public company Ihobe, under the Basque Government, has released a guide to assist municipalities in identifying, creating, and promoting their climate refuges. They have also developed a distinctive mark for easy recognition of these spaces.
The primary goal is not to construct new facilities but to adapt and enhance existing ones. Ihobe emphasizes that this measure is "simple, effective, and low-cost."
The rise in temperatures and the increasing frequency of extreme heat episodes pose a growing risk to public health. In Euskadi, this impact is already evident in mortality indicators.
Climate scenarios predict that in the coming decades, the number of days exceeding 35 ºC will become significantly more common. In Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, this could rise from 3-4 days annually to 16-17 by the century's end, while in Araba, it could increase from 4 days to over 20.
Furthermore, according to the 'State of the Climate in Euskadi' report presented by the Basque Government last year, the temperature in the Basque Country has risen by 0.3 ºC per decade since 1970. There has also been an increase in the frequency and duration of heatwaves, with the number of heatwave days rising from 4 (1970-2000 period) to nearly 9 (2014-2023 period).
