The Guardian, July 23, 2021. The urgent need for local action on current global problems seems to be slowly becoming mainstream. That “Athens has appointed a chief heat officer to protect people from soaring temperatures and .. to adapt the city to the heatwaves and extreme weather that are [a] result of the climate emergency” should be a stimulus for other cities. Nanaimo Council has already endorsed the climate crisis and has implemented actions to mitigate the current heat waves, but more is needed. For one thing, we need to hear regular updates on actions contemplated and mitigating steps implemented. For another, Nanaimo Council needs to own its responsibility for creating a local culture, an environment (no pun intended) in which the current global crises remain front and centre in our thinking and in which the need for local action is clearly understood, accepted, and endorsed. Athens may be the first European City to appoint a chief heat officer, but Nanaimo can set a far more comprehensive example for Vancouver Island and elsewhere. [ARTICLE LINK]