If nothing changes, large cities will boil, but plants can help

According to a recent report published by Climate Central, large cities are the hottest islands on the Earth’s surface, where high summer heat is not only unbearable but can also be detrimental to health. The concrete jungles of major American cities can increase the local temperature by an average of 5 degrees Celsius, which is no longer a negligible difference in the case of 30 and 35 degrees.

The researchers concluded that New Orleans is the hottest American metropolis, closely followed by Newark and New York. The result depends not only on the measured temperature but also on an index value called heat island. This index includes the amount of reflective surface, the heat-retaining capacity of the construction materials, the population density, and green areas (or lack thereof). Since the large cities ranked in the top three spaces mostly have stone and concrete buildings made of heat-absorbing material, around which there is hardly any greenery, it is logical that they are at the top.

Cities are usually hotter than the countryside because they generate heat through infrastructure and air conditioning that funnels hot air into the streets, and the asphalt of the roads absorbs heat. Tall buildings also warm the environment, so it’s understandable that large cities have high scores; but according to the researchers, it is more surprising to have settlements like Burlington on the list, ranking thirteenth on the list of twenty.

This is due, among other things, to the colour of the roads: the darker the roofs or the roads, the better they absorb heat, therefore, by changing the surfaces the impact could be reduced. In the case of four of the twenty cities, the primary concern is the surface colour, although the most common heat source is the average height of buildings.

Planting trees can help significantly because the vegetation cools the environment. One of the consequences of racist housing practices of the 1930s was that poorer neighbourhoods in large U.S. cities lacked green spaces.

Former views have changed, property prices have skyrocketed with urban development, but due to climate change, it has become hotter in these areas. Even after 90-years, there is an average temperature difference of up to 5 degrees between once-poor neighbourhoods and those with green spaces.

According to experts, this problem will not solve itself, serious action must be taken to reduce heat, especially because it is unhealthy and can directly or indirectly, cost human lives.

Cover: Getty Images