Rio’s Heat Divide Triggers Court Order on Schools, Community Sensors to Track Exposure

Overview

• Prosecutors won a ruling requiring the Rio state government to present a plan within 60 days and implement it in 30 to tackle thermal precariousness in schools.
• Redes da Maré plans to install 25 indoor temperature and air-quality sensors in 2026 to document conditions that lack official monitoring.
• Community measurements in Maré identified urban heat islands up to 6 °C hotter than nearby areas such as Galeão airport, driven by tightly packed housing and little shade.
• Health services reported roughly 450 daily visits before Christmas in municipal units, most tied to sun-related burns, according to the city’s health secretary.
• City officials cite about 1,300 trees planted in communities over two years, while residents report recurring power and water outages and a surge in requests for new shade after mature tree removals.