Doubling trees in European cities could prevent thousands of deaths

A modeling study of 93 European cities found that increasing average tree cover in these cities from 15% to 30% could prevent more than 2,600 heat stroke deaths in just three months. It is suggested that

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Modeling studies show that doubling tree cover in European cities could reduce summer heat deaths by nearly 40%.

European cities have an average canopy cover of just under 15%. It is defined as the area covered when viewed from above. Cities such as London and Barcelona each aim to double this coverage to 30% by 2030 and he by 2037.

To explore the effects of achieving this, Tamara Iunmann of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Spain, and her colleagues combined mortality data from 93 cities from June to August 2015 with daily temperature statistics. used to estimate the number of heat-related deaths over the last three years. – month period.

The researchers said they chose to look at the 2015 data because it was the most recent year for which European-wide statistics were available and the temperature was typical of current European climate. I’m here.

We then modeled the effect on temperature and mortality of increased tree cover in the city.

“We already know that trees can bring coolness,” says Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, a co-author of the study. The team set out to discover how much cold the trees could bring and how many deaths they could prevent, he says.

Between June and August 2015, extreme heat caused 6,700 premature deaths in 93 cities. However, the results suggest that 2644 of these (about 40%) could have been prevented by increasing tree cover to 30%.

Trees help combat a phenomenon known as the “urban heat island effect,” where temperatures in cities are warmer than in nearby rural areas. This is because urban surfaces such as asphalt and concrete absorb and retain heat. In some areas, the temperature difference between urban areas and neighboring rural areas can exceed 4°C.

As climate change accelerates, cities will have to prepare for increasingly extreme heat waves, says Nieuwenhuijsen. In 2022 he will reach 40°C for the first time in parts of the UK.

“It’s too hot in our city center,” says Nieuwenhuijsen. “Nature-based solutions such as tree planting can be used to reduce the effects of the urban heat island effect and associated mortality.”