A collected photo of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez

MADRID, Dec 17, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced 
Wednesday that Spain would set up a national network of climate shelters to 
help people survive increasingly severe heatwaves.

"Devastating droughts and heatwaves are no longer rare. Some summers, it's 
not separate waves we face, but one long heatwave stretching from June 
through August. This is now the new normal," he said at a climate conference 
in Madrid.

"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," he added.

The central government will coordinate with climate shelter networks already 
set up by some regional governments such as Catalonia and the Basque Country, 
the Socialist premier said.

It will also fund shelters in neighbourhoods "that need them most, where the 
heat really hits people the hardest," he went on.

Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, has led the way in setting up a network 
of climate shelters in libraries, schools and other public buildings with air 
conditioning.

Spain this year sweltered through its hottest summer ever, with an average 
temperature during the period of 24.2C, according to national meteorological 
agency AEMET.

That smashed the previous record of 24.1C set in 2022, and was the highest 
figure since records began in 1961.

After a warm autumn, 2025 will "probably" be Spain's third or fourth warmest 
year on record, AEMET spokesman Ruben del Campo told a news conference on 
Tuesday.

The number of heat-related deaths in Spain between May 16 and September 30 
hit 3,832, an 87.6-percent increase from the same period in 2024, according 
to health ministry figures.

It is difficult to establish how many people are killed by rising 
temperatures, because heat is very rarely recorded as a cause of death.

Beyond immediate effects such as heatstroke and dehydration, heat contributes 
to a broad range of potentially deadly health problems, including heart 
attacks, strokes and respiratory conditions.