“We discovered that a modest increase of 10% green space reduced surface temperatures in the urban environment by 4°C, which would overcome temperature rises caused by global warming over the next 75 years, effectively ‘climate proofing’ our cities.”
“Such a reduction has important implications for human comfort and health within urban areas and opportunities need to be taken to increase green space cover wherever structural changes are occurring within urban areas, as well as planting street trees or developing green roofs.”
“Urban areas can be up to 12°C warmer than more rural surroundings due to the heat given off by buildings, roads and traffic, as well as reduced evaporative cooling, in what is commonly referred to as an ‘urban heat island’…” [link]
Should Farmers Come Back to Towns?
Salt Lake in the summer.
The red (hot) area on the left is downtown; cool green squares are parks, golf courses, and cemeteries.
“Cooling Los Angeles by 4 degrees,” says Hashem Akbari, a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory who specializes in ‘cool communities’ technology, would have the same effect as turning all of the on-road vehicles into electric cars. This is so huge, nothing else compares.”
From a previous post: We cook ourselves…