A Saudi project to cool Riyadh and reduce the temperature by about 15 degrees
Saudi Arabia is preparing to launch a new project in the capital, Riyadh, with the aim of reducing the city's heat by treating asphalt and building walls, according to the Al-Eqtiadian newspaper.
The newspaper pointed out that the project aims to reduce the temperature of roofs in Riyadh between 8-15 degrees Celsius, but the necessary studies are waiting for the completion of the necessary studies and obtaining final approvals.
The project includes the preparation of a comprehensive cooling strategy, through the type of building materials and the optional 5 pilot zones, to test the reduction of the heat in the first phase.
Among the proposed means are the construction of water canals and evaporation ponds and increasing vegetation cover, with the aim of improving the local climate.
Climate casts a shadow over the Hajj season
The National Center of Meteorology in Saudi Arabia has confirmed its full readiness for the current Hajj season, noting that recent climate analyses show the possibility of high temperatures despite the arrival of the season in the spring. This comes in light of increasing scientific warnings about the effects of climate change on pilgrims in recent years.
A joint study by the Weather and Climate Services Center in Islamabad and the Climate Analytics Organization in Berlin revealed that June 17, 2024, witnessed four consecutive hours in which the impact of heat and humidity exceeded the safe survival limit of the human body. According to the study quoted by the Daily Mail, the body loses its ability to cool through sweating in such conditions, making prolonged exposure to sunlight without cooling a life-threatening risk.
During the 2024 Hajj season, the temperature at the Grand Mosque reached 51.8 degrees Celsius, and this coincided with the recording of about 1,300 deaths in just five days, in one of the most severe heat waves the Hajj has witnessed in recent decades.
Every year, millions of Muslims perform Hajj rituals that require outdoor rituals, such as circumambulation, saa'i, standing in Arafa, overnight in Mina and Muzdalifah, and throwing stones, making them more vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat.
Despite measures taken by the Saudi authorities — such as adapting the route of the sai and building permanent umbrellas in Mina — researchers say these steps may not be enough if temperatures continue to rise.
Presenting their findings at the 2026 European Union General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union, the researchers stressed that climate change is "no longer just an environmental issue, but has a direct impact on religious practices and human health," considering that the Hajj, as one of the largest human gatherings in the world, faces a "growing and acute threat."
Due to the Hijri calendar's dependence on the lunar cycle, the Hajj season is about 11 to 12 days ahead of the Gregorian calendar, which means that it will fall in relatively cooler periods in the coming decades, before returning after 2050 to coincide with hotter seasons.