As Europe faces a new heatwave, how can we keep cities cool?
Recent summers have smashed temperature records in Europe and intense heat is becoming the new norm.
Scientists are clear that we need to reduce emissions to stop climate change and its effects. But what else can we do right now to cool down our cities? Well the answer could lie in nature itself.
Living in a city has many benefits. Job opportunities, convenience and lots of things to keep you busy. But it also means putting up with a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect.
Cities absorb heat during the day — from buildings, roads, and concrete — and slowly release it after the sun goes down. This makes urban areas noticeably warmer than the surrounding countryside, especially after sunset. In summer, the surface temperature difference is often 10-15°C, according to a study by the EU’s Joint Research Centre.
Thankfully there are solutions available.
Trees, for example, help cool cities by providing shade and releasing water vapour through a process called transpiration.
“Nature-based solutions are not only about planting trees,” said Francesc Baró, Professor of Urban Ecology at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). “It’s more about integrating or considering urban nature as really critical infrastructure in cities, so as we call it, green and blue infrastructure. So the idea is, yeah, we can plant trees in the streets, that can help a lot, but it’s also about planning other types of nature- based solutions as I was mentioning. Community gardens, transforming schoolyards into greener areas and opening them to the public.”
Watch our video above to learn more.
