Copernicus Climate Change Observatory reports that 2024 has been the warmest year recorded since 1850, with global temperatures surpassing the 1.5 °C increase relative to pre-industrial levels. This escalation sheds light on the severe impacts of climate change, specifically an amplification in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves (IPCC, 2023). In response, the European Commission’s 2025 report on Summer Energy Poverty highlights the multifaceted nature of SEP and explores strategies to enhance societal resilience to extreme heat. Heat stress constitutes a critical health threat, necessitating immediate, well-informed policy interventions that prioritize the assessment of population exposure to heat as a key step toward fostering equitable and inclusive resilience.
Recognizing a gap in existing literature concerning localized, multidimensional assessments of heat vulnerability, particularly within Italy, the present thesis aims to identify geographical hotspots and policy areas requiring urgent governance actions to enhance the adaptive capacity of the population to elevated temperatures and humidity. This is operationalized through the application of the Systemic Cooling Poverty Index, developed by Mazzone et al. (2023), at the Venice provincial level. The SCP Index consolidates socio-demographic, geospatial, climatological, infrastructural, and healthcare data within the R computing environment to evaluate the systemic factors influencing heat vulnerability across census areas.
The research aims to map areas within Venice where systemic characteristics of census tracts undermine residents’ capacity to adapt to persistent heat. The SCP framework assesses five interconnected dimensions: Climate, Infrastructure and assets, Thermal justice, Health, and Education and work standards, each composed of specific sub-indicators. The findings reveal widespread cooling poverty, with approximately 80.6% of the population experiencing moderate to high deprivation in heat adaptation, and 13.6% suffering from severe deprivation, collectively affecting 94.2% of the inhabitants.
Certain municipalities, such as Cona, Mira, and Cavarzare, exhibit persistent vulnerabilities, particularly in the dimension related to Education and work standards and Health. Climatic conditions, characterized by high temperatures and humidity, significantly influence vulnerability levels, while deficiencies in educational attainment, unemployment, and poor air quality exacerbate health risks and limit adaptive capacity. Accessibility issues to healthcare facilities further compound vulnerabilities in remote and insular areas.
Infrastructural deficits, particuarly inadequate public transportation networks and limited green spaces, also diminish resilience against extreme heat. The Thermal justice dimension, which accounts for the distribution of vulnerable socio-demographic groups, presents a less critical picture across the Province.
Despite some data limitations, the analysis provides a nuanced view of Venice’s resilience profile, emphasizing the necessity for systemic, multi-sectoral measures. Proposed policy strategies include implementing cooling shelters, increasing green infrastructure, improving access to healthcare and mobility services, and fostering social cohesion. Such interventions aim to fortify the community’s adaptive capacity, thereby mitigating the health and social impacts of increasing heat stress and climate-related challenges in the region.