Spain to open public buildings as climate shelters in summer –

Heat waves in Spain have become, longer, more intense and deadlier in recent years. A network of climate shelters aims to help save lives

Spain to open public buildings as climate shelters in summer

Heat waves in Spain have become, longer, more intense and deadlier in recent years. A network of climate shelters aims to help save lives.

Temperatures reached around 40 degress Celsius in parts of Spain in the summer, the kind of heat that can cause serious health problems [FILE: August 2025]Image: Europa Press/IMAGO
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a plan to set up a climate shelter network on Wednesday.

A network of government buildings will be made available to the public by next summer to help protect against the increasingly severe heat waves.

The network will build on already existing schemes run in the autonomous regions of Catalonia and the Basque Country.

What did Spain’s Sanchez say about the climate shelter network?
“Devastating droughts and heat waves are no longer rare,” Sanchez said at a climate conference in Madrid.

“Some summers, it’s not separate waves we face, but one long heat wave stretching from June through August. This is now the new normal.” he stressed.

“Before next summer, we’re going to set up a nationwide network of climate shelters, using government buildings — especially from the central administration — and making them available to everyone,” Sanchez added.

The prime minister said that the government would also make funds available to set up shelters in the neighborhoods “that need them most, where the heat really hits people the hardest.”