Doubling trees in European cities could prevent thousands of deaths

1 year ago 105

A modelling survey of 93 European cities suggests that much than 2600 quality heat-related deaths implicit conscionable 3 months could person been prevented if these places accrued their mean histrion sum from 15 per cent to 30 per cent

Environment 31 January 2023

By Madeleine Cuff

Trees assistance to easiness the “urban vigor land effect”, which sees temperatures successful cities ascent higher than successful adjacent agrarian areas

Doubling histrion screen successful European cities could chopped the fig of heat-related deaths during summertime months by astir 40 per cent, according to a modelling study.

The mean canopy tree sum successful European cities is conscionable nether 15 per cent. This is defined arsenic the country covered erstwhile viewed from above. Cities specified arsenic London and Barcelona are aiming to treble this sum to 30 per cent by 2030 and 2037, respectively.

To analyse the effect of achieving this, Tamara Iungman and her colleagues astatine the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Spain, combined mortality information from 93 cities betwixt June and August 2015 with regular somesthesia statistic to estimation the fig of heat-related deaths implicit this three-month period.

The researchers person said they chose to survey 2015 information due to the fact that that is the astir caller twelvemonth for which European-wide statistic are disposable and its temperatures were emblematic of the existent European climate.

They past modelled the interaction connected temperatures and mortality if histrion screen successful the cities increased.

“We already cognize that trees supply cooling,” says Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, a co-author of the study. The squad acceptable retired to observe however overmuch cooling trees supply and however galore deaths they tin prevent, helium says.

Between June and August 2015, 6700 premature deaths occurred crossed the 93 cities owed to utmost heat. Yet 2644 of these – astir 40 per cent – could person been prevented by expanding histrion screen to 30 per cent, the results suggest.

Trees assistance tackle a improvement known arsenic the “urban vigor land effect”, which sees temperatures successful cities ascent higher than successful adjacent agrarian areas. This is due to the fact that municipality surfaces, specified arsenic asphalt and concrete, sorb and clasp heat. In immoderate areas, the somesthesia quality betwixt cities and adjacent agrarian areas tin beryllium much than 4°C.

As climate change accelerates, cities indispensable brace for progressively utmost heatwaves, says Nieuwenhuijsen. In 2022, parts of the UK deed 40°C for the archetypal time.

“Our metropolis centres are excessively hot,” says Nieuwenhuijsen. “We tin usage nature-based solutions similar histrion planting to trim the effect of the vigor land and related mortality.”