Urban greening can cool cities and save lives in Europe

This study, published in The Lancet, models how increasing urban tree coverage to 30% can lower temperatures by 0.4°C, which could reduce heat-related deaths by over a third. The heat-health impact assessment covers 93 European cities at high resolution (250 × 250 m grid cell size) and estimates the mortality burden attributable to the urban heat island effect and the mortality that could be prevented by increasing the urban tree coverage. The cities most likely to benefit from the increase in tree coverage are in south and eastern Europe, where summer temperatures are highest and tree coverage tends to be lower.

The findings can inform future realistic city-specific scenarios and targeted green interventions that could help to mitigate adverse heat-related health effects, maximise population health benefits and promote sustainable, climate-resilient cities. 

Learn more on the European Commission website.