Summer heat and rising temperatures have become a global concern day by day. Extreme heat has made living difficult. In this situation, surprisingly, the most significant element of nature that we are ignoring is also one of the most effective solutions – trees. As per recent research, trees play a very important role in keeping cities cooler, especially as the temperature of the world continues to rise.
Trees provide shade on roads and footpaths and help reduce heat by releasing water vapour into the air.
A global study analysing 9,000 large cities found that trees reduce city temperatures by an average of 0.15°C. Without this tree cover, cities would feel much hotter because buildings, roads, and concrete surfaces absorb heat and release it back into the air, which is known as the urban heat island effect.
However, the biggest concern is that the cities which need this tree cover the most have the least number of trees. The study found that richer countries have created much better green cover. The data shows that nearly 40% of cities in wealthy countries receive strong cooling benefits from tree cover, whereas in financially weaker countries, less than 9% of cities have similar green cover.
This is worrying for countries like India, where cities such as Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur face extreme heat during the summer season, and even after summer, these cities continue to experience high temperatures compared to many others. These cities are crowded, dry, and have limited tree cover, making the people living there more vulnerable to rising temperatures.
But there is some good news, because there is a possible solution to this problem. As per the study, trees in dry cities work more effectively in cooling the environment compared to trees in cities with wetter climates. This suggests that planting more trees in India’s hottest cities could bring major benefits.
Although experts also suggest that trees alone cannot solve the entire heat problem because global temperatures are rising day by day due to climate change. However, tree planting can reduce some effects of climate change, even if it cannot stop rising temperatures caused by global warming.
This global study gives a clear message, cities that suffer from extreme heat need more green cover, and faster action is needed before extreme heat becomes even harder to manage.
Also Read: Ahmedabad The Hottest City! IMD Warns The Temperature May Reach 45°C Today https://www.vibesofindia.com/imd-warns-the-temperature-may-reach-45c-today-in-ahmedabad/
