As the new school term begins, students in the Canary Islands are returning to classrooms experiencing extreme heat. The region is facing one of its hottest Septembers on record, with temperatures expected to exceed 36 degrees Celsius tonight, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
This ongoing heat wave, first noted in May and June, has prompted concerns about the adaptability of school infrastructure for effective learning. In response, the Canary Islands’ Education Department launched a pilot project called Clima Escolar Canarias earlier this summer. This initiative aims to monitor the thermal conditions at 120 schools in real time through a network of sensors measuring temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels.
To combat the heat, the Education Department has implemented various solutions, including the installation of adiabatic systems, which cool without heat exchange, and treated windows to reduce heat penetration. There has also been a push to improve shaded areas around schools, with 346 schools now having such spaces — an increase of 186 from last year, yet still representing only 38.5% of all local schools.
Education Minister Poli Suárez acknowledged that completing some projects has been slow due to material shortages. Critics, including Carmen Hernández of Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista, have described the measures as inadequate, claiming the department has not even provided basic fans for classrooms and lacks comprehensive plans to address climate change impacts.
Nationally, Greenpeace has echoed these concerns, advocating for structural reforms to ensure efficient, sustainable cooling in schools and an improvement in the coordination of resources among governmental bodies.
The urgency for such adaptations is particularly apparent in the archipelago. Santa Cruz de Tenerife has recorded an average temperature 0.5 degrees higher than its historical norm this year, with July seeing a 37% increase in warm days compared to 75 years ago. In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the temperature rise has reached 0.8 degrees above its historical average, placing it among the warmest years since recording began in 1950.
While steps are being taken to enhance school environments amid rising temperatures, many institutions still lack essential measures to ensure student comfort and safety during heat waves. The challenge remains in assessing how well educational infrastructures can cope with a continuing trend of increasing temperatures.
