2023. Heat-related deaths in Europe would have been around 50,000. A figure that must also be warned because for the old continent last year it was in second place in the rankings of great heat.
Not only that. “Climate Change” is also worrying in light of the fact that Europe is “warming” faster than other areas. From the analysis that presents this data, which appeared on Natureemerges as the death toll due to heat it could be much more negative, even growing up to 80%, if targeted environmental adaptation strategies had not been implemented.
The research, conducted by combining temperature and mortality data in 823 regions of 35 European countries, is worrying. But above all it proposes the importance and urgency of implementing targeted countermeasures. In this sense, green spaces they can represent a real one “prevention” to reduce risks. especially in the southern hemisphere, where high temperatures risk claiming even greater numbers of victims. An original research which appeared on Nature Communications.
Vegetation is an “air conditioner”
According to the study, which involved researchers from the universities of Nanjing, Exeter, Aarhus and North Carolina State University, the key to the differences in the appearance of urban heat islands lies in the presence of insufficient amounts of open space. Therefore the cities of the South of the world would be more exposed to extreme heat and the consequent health risks not only for climatic reasons but also because they do not have green spaces with a “refreshing” action.
This is also why rising temperatures, combined with the “urban heat island” effects that make densely populated centers hotter than rural areas, heat-related illnesses and deaths in cities are becoming more frequent.
What to do? According to the experts who wrote the report, we need to focus, and soon, on urban greenery. According to the analysis, green spaces could contribute to reduce the surface temperature of an average city about 3 degrees during the hot seasons. It may seem like little. But in terms of prevention in extreme heat waves, it can prove to be a truly important counter-move to limit the effects on well-being of the great heat, combined with a high percentage of humidity. The effect of cooling of urban green spaces, particularly urban forests, is caused by shading and cooling related to water evaporation.
Areas at risk
The research examined satellite information on the 500 largest cities in the world to assess the “cooling capacity”or the extent to which urban green spaces lower the surface temperature of a city. All the top ten cities for cooling capacity are located in the United States: Charlotte And Raleigh-Durham are the first, followed by Kansas And Baltimore.
Attention, it must be said that these results may be due to the low population density of these centers. Think about that Chicago it is in fourth place in terms of cooling capacity, while it would be at the top of the ranking in this sense Mogadishu in Somalia followed by Sanah in Yemen e Rosary in Argentina.
In any case, the areas at greatest risk of extreme heat are located below the equator in Africa, Africa, Latin America and parts of Asia.
In addition to the presence of urban greenery, as is obvious, social aspects also impact this “inequality” in relation to the climate, given that the areas richest in vegetation are often found in the richest neighborhoods of a city, with a lower population density. Although it can certainly have an economic impact, the implementation of the urban vision can prove successful in terms of addressing it thermal stress future on humans. With more green spaces and perhaps vertical gardens we could really lay the foundations for a natural “barrier” to the effects of heat waves and make cities more liveable in the immediate future.
Towards natural solutions?
The study confirms what already emerged recently also in Europe, thanks to research conducted on 14 large urban areas, which also saw Italy participate with the National Research Council (CNR) and the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC).
The study appeared on Nature Cities and starts from a clear assumption: Heat waves in Europe are on the risecausing a 57% increase in people exposed in the second decade of this century compared to the decade 2000-2009. Especially in the urban areasthe impacts of these extreme events are particularly pronounced due to structures that cause the so-called “heat island” effect.
This is also why the thermal stress resulting from heat waves is the leading cause of climate-related premature deaths in Europe. Countermeasures? Experts point out that among the most effective solutions is the development of urban green infrastructurewhich represent one of the best “Nature Based Solutions” or which replicate natural processes, to mitigate the overheating in cities and provide ecosystem services. In short, the road appears to be clear!
