Saudi Arabia said Sunday that more than 1,300 faithful died during the hajj pilgrimage which took place during intense heat. Dr. Steffen Lehmann, Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at UNLV and Director of the Urban Futures Lab, tells FRANCE24 that multiple solutions are needed to avoid such tragedies in the future.

As millions swelter under record-breaking temperatures world-wide, we’ll talk to an expert about what, if anything, can be done.

People around the globe are suffering stifling temperatures and the heat is causing a soaring death toll at this year's Hajj.

From planting trees to painting streets white, US cities are fighting extreme heat. In 2013, Los Angeles became the first large city to pass a law requiring all new homes to have a cool roof. Since then, the city – where the number of days at 35C (95F) is expected to soar by 2050 – has rolled out numerous other keep-cool initiatives, including painting pavements white and expanding its Green Standards Building Code to include cool roofs on non-residential buildings and retrofits.

The living-dining space at the heart of a tree grove in bucolic Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany, gives off strong Flinstones-family-kitchen vibes. Thirty-six big and slender London plane trees ensconce a series of large, rough-edged stone tables and an open oven; the transparent roof above whimsically resembles a turtle’s shell, somewhat creating the illusion of a mysterious Stonehenge-like structure. But the devil is in the details—dining surfaces are impeccably flat, with stone slabs securely fixed atop screw-pipe foundations, while the roof is crafted from fiber-reinforced plastic.

Las Vegas’ evolution is ever apparent as it gears up for Super Bowl 58. What was once considered a sports pariah is now hosting the biggest U.S. sporting event of the year, and the event comes less than three months after the city held a Grand Prix Formula One race. That’s not all — Las Vegas now boasts two new entertainment facilities, the Sphere and Allegiant Stadium, adding new offerings like A-list performers. The total number of visitors climbed to 40.8 million in 2023. Beyond all the fun and gambling, the region has also become popular with relocating businesses and homebuyers. However, there are some significant risks with being a desert city that could hinder Las Vegas’ growth as the planet warms. CNBC traveled to Vegas and met with locals and experts to learn more about Sin City’s explosive growth.

It’s getting hotter. The nonprofit scientific research organization Climate Central reports that average summer temperatures in Las Vegas have risen nearly six degrees since 1970, and Southern Nevada remains one of the fastest-warming metropolitan areas across the west—getting hotter faster than Phoenix, Salt Lake City and El Paso.

A 2022 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-funded heat mapping study involved a group of 60 volunteers who spread out across Clark County to check the temperatures in different locations during the morning, afternoon and night. The map produced from that data shows that elevated temperatures are worst in North Las Vegas, East Las Vegas and downtown, which can get up to 11 degrees hotter than other parts of the city.