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Planting more trees can reduce heat wave deaths

2023-02-11 21:02:33Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Planting more trees can reduce heat wave deaths
People walking among the trees in Tokyo

More trees save lives! A European study has reached this conclusion, according to which 1/3 of the deaths caused by the heat wave in 2015 could have been avoided if the areas planted with trees in cities had increased by 30%.

They have long been referred to as the "lungs of the planet", but according to a recent study, planting more trees could reduce the number of deaths caused by heat waves by 1/3.

The study based on the statistics of 93 European cities was recently published in the prestigious scientific journal "The Lancet".

It concludes that 1/3 of the premature deaths due to the heat wave in European cities in 2015 could have been avoided if the areas planted with trees had increased by 30%.

According to this study, currently the average area planted with trees in European cities is below 15 percent, while on average, from June to August 2015, there was a temperature difference of 1.5 degrees Celsius between urban and rural areas.

This has happened due to the deterioration caused by climate change, the phenomenon known as "urban heat islands", where the temperature change comes as a result of human-made changes to the relief, because asphalt and concrete absorb sunlight.

"The reactions so far have been very positive. We see that many cities are becoming greener. Our target of 30% is being met by many cities. I think the special thing about this study is that it includes different cities. Also, it is an intersection between the climate crisis, urban greening, green space management, health and urban planning. So it combines a number of elements".

According to this study, 3/4 of the European urban population lives in areas where the temperature in cities is one degree hotter than in rural areas. While 1/5 of the population lives in areas where the average summer temperature is two degrees higher.

The study shows that living in cities with more greenery brings health benefits, such as a decrease in cardiovascular disease, dementia and strengthening of mental abilities in children and the elderly.

"In a compact city like Barcelona it is difficult to find space for planting trees. Therefore, something more dramatic needs to be done, i.e. remove the asphalt. Until now, 60% of public space, such as roads, are intended for vehicles. In fact, we need less cars, less asphalt and more trees!".

The city of Barcelona has historically had good weather, with mild winters and summers. But due to the worsening of the climate crisis, its inhabitants are being affected by the negative effects of high temperatures at record levels.

In January 2020, the city declared a climate emergency with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, in other words balancing the balance between the amount of carbon dioxide emitted and absorbed into the atmosphere.

According to statistical data, currently and according to the 2020 census, the area with trees in Barcelona is 25.2%, with about 2500,000 trees planted.

Coloma Rull, head of the biodiversity program at the Barcelona City Council, is confident that in a short period of time the city will achieve the recommended target of 30%.

"We think that 30% of the surface should not only be covered by trees, but generally by green spaces. We want different types of trees. We are on the right track. It is important that the achievement of this objective brings the greatest benefits to the ecosystem", she says.

In recent years, local authorities have prioritized working-class neighborhoods away from the city center, many of which were neglected and had few green spaces for citizens.

Within the year 2024, the city's largest park, "Glories Park", is expected to be built in Barcelona.

Fernando Fernandez, Greenpeace's regional coordinator in Catalonia, says tree planting should be combined with other interventions to maximize urban cooling, such as replacing asphalt to reduce nighttime temperatures, improving public transport and fewer cars on the road.

"Everyone agrees that we are in a climate emergency," he says.

Last summer, Barcelona had 120 "tropical nights", with minimum temperatures exceeding 20 degrees Celsius.

According to the national weather service, 2022 was the hottest year on record in Spain, for the first time since temperature records began in 1961, the average daily temperature exceeded 15 degrees Celsius.

The study was conducted by the Institute for Global Health, the Joint Research Center, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and New York University./ VOA


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