Eleni Myrivili is the United Nation’s first-ever global chief heat officer. An anthropologist by training, Myrivili understands how heat waves discriminate against older, less-wealthy and under-served demographics. Before being named to her UN post in 2022, Myrivili was Athens’ heat officer, where she coordinated the capital’s response to heat waves and helped renovate an ancient Roman aqueduct to bring water into the city.

Further reading: 

• What will it take to save our cities from a scorching future
• Earth’s 10 hottest years on record are the last 10
• Extreme heat is deadlier than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined
• Heat inequality ‘causing thousands of unreported deaths in poor countries’
• The heat crisis is a housing crisis
• Ancient civilizations countered extreme heat. Here’s what cities borrow from history
• Toronto's getting hotter. Experts say a chief heat officer could help the city adapt
• Architects turning to India’s lattice-building designs to keep buildings cool without air conditioning 
• How India’s lattice buildings cool without air conditioning
• Athen’s answer to a water supply crunch: an ancient aqueduct 

Solve for X is brought to you by MaRS, North America’s largest urban innovation hub and a registered charity. MaRS supports startups and accelerates the adoption of high-impact solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. For more information, visit marsdd.com.