Urban heat is a public health emergency, an infrastructure challenge and a climate crisis rolled into one. To safeguard cities and their most vulnerable populations, India needs city-level cost-effective long-term mitigation strategies. By Sanjay Seth and Yatin Choudhary

It can provide a wider choice of green products such as energy saving appliances, e-vehicles, and sustainable building materials. Government departments can be mandated to purchase such products, and the aggregation of demand can nudge manufacturers to reduce the carbon footprint of their products and seek green certification. By Jagan Shah

How people in low-income communities are coping with heating cities could set the example for future heat-stressed citizens to follow. By Elspeth Oppermann, Jamie Cross

The Indonesian city of Surabaya put in public parks where others put in buildings. It is now reaping the creative, economic and cooling benefits. By Martiwi Diah Setiawati