Melting Cities: Heatwaves Overwhelm City Infrastructure Worldwide 

By Minseo Jung

The iconic Île de la Cité area of Paris was struck by power outage on June 23rd, 2025, disrupting life for 1,400 households and buildings. Grid operators confirmed the cause; record-breaking high temperatures.  This event intensified global concerns regarding our vulnerable infrastructure resilience for modern climates. This episode is not unique to France as the date coincides to 2023 heatwaves with damaged underground cables resulting in hundreds of thousands without electricity and water for days. France is hardly alone in this crisis as similar reports soar; buckled roads, blackouts, melted cables all over the world. Especially after the 2024 mega heat waves, whether current infrastructure can withstand today’s heat has come to an obvious answer.  

Every month has reported to reach the hottest on record globally, heatwaves are scientifically clear to become more and more fatal with rapid pace. In the following decades, times of powerful heat extremes will climb up to seven times more than the disruptive situation we see now. Energy utilities are no longer seen as a viable “solution” since advancing heat obstructs what was so called hopeful technology’s ability, as it shows the same problems our infrastructure presents: weak capability. The U.S National Renewable Energy Laboratory stated solar panels produce less electricity as they heat up, typically losing about 0.3–0.5% efficiency above 25 °C, which can be a 10–15% drop on hot days. Likewise, a Swiss nuclear power plant had to reduce its output by 10 percent because the river that cools its reactor was not an exception from rising heat. 

The striking heat waves will leave consequences through every corner of the city , echoing the severe effects already reported until this day.  For transportation; asphalt streets will soften forcing mass road paralyzation, buckled roads shut down train operation, and high temperatures thin the air, costing significant fuel loss. Social activity will be cut off too; internet providers along with telecommunication companies already struggle with telecom towers and data centers. The Uptime Institute has warned that heat waves are putting global data centers at risk of cooling system failure and outages, this concern was echoed by the International Energy Agency emphasizing our digital infrastructure being at risk. Its effects even reach manufacturing. Scientists warn that rising temperatures change how materials behave. Metals warp and chemicals break down , raising costs and lowering quality. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has cautioned that such disruptions threaten the foundation modern societies depend on. 

The previous attempts to deal with this crisis were far from enough, but we now need more than enough. The question isn't if we act but how. Global chief heat officer at UN-habitat Elini Myrivilli repeatedly says “Extreme heat is now a design condition” stressing a shift in approach to escape systemic breakdowns. This new view of solutions is spreading across the globe, including cooling building materials, passive cooling layouts, and integrated energy/water systems. There have been numerous updates for building codes to include green roofs, shaded façades, and reflective surfaces. Los Angeles streets are tested by city officials to be painted with solar reflective coating to stay 4.9 c cooler while Chicago’s green roofs cool surface temperatures by up to 30 c according to the Department of Environment report. For now cities continue to balance urgent repairs with redesigns, racing to prepare for the next heatwave strike.