For billions of people around the world, the health hazards of city living are a daily reality.
One of the biggest threats is stifling temperatures, which can be a summer phenomenon or a year-round problem, depending on location. High city temperatures are not just a matter of discomfort. Every year, thousands of premature deaths are attributed to excessive urban heat.
A new study, published in The Lancet medical journal has estimated that more than a third of these premature deaths could be prevented by planting more trees in cities.
The researchers identified 6,700 premature deaths in 93 European cities that could be attributed to excess summer heat. They then modelled the impact of increasing city tree cover to 30%. The results showed that this level of tree cover across those 93 European cities would prevent 2,644 premature deaths – more than a third of the total.
Read the full article on World Economic Forum
Authors: Akanksha Khatri and Cristina Gomez Garcia Reyes
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