The maps paint a stark picture of how different communities suffer more or less from the heat depending on the abundance of green space.
One year after record temperatures hit the UK, new heat maps released today visualize the dramatic cooling effect of trees in some urban areas.
The maps paint a stark picture of how different communities suffer more or less from the heat depending on the abundance of green space.
Downtown areas lacking parks and green canopies were 5C warmer during the hottest day on record last year than those with more tree cover and plant life, found the analysis conducted by TerraSulis on behalf of Friends of the Earth.
The new maps of five cities (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Newcastle) illustrate that trend, with the warmest areas of each city shaded in dark red and the coldest and most wilderness areas in light blue.
Mike Childs, Friends of the Earth’s head of science, policy and research, said: “We know that extreme weather, including heatwaves, is becoming more frequent and severe due to the climate crisis.
“But not everyone is affected equally, with the most marginalized communities bearing the brunt in the UK and abroad.”
He added that planting more trees would help cool communities, and insulating homes would help keep homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
It comes as the parliamentarians’ Environmental Audit Committee today publishes a report warning that the country is failing to meet tree planting targets.
Dr. Mike Rivington, a senior scientist at the James Hutton Institute who specializes in land use and climate change, said trees cool the air around them by drawing water from beneath the ground and evaporating it through respiration.
“If we compare this to concrete and asphalt surfaces, which prevent water evaporation from the ground, while also absorbing a lot of energy from solar radiation and storing heat (concrete is particularly good at this), we can see that there will be a great benefit of increasing the amount of trees and open green spaces in urban areas.
There is also “good evidence” that trees and open green spaces in urban areas improve mental health, he said.
Cllr Linda Taylor, environmental spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “Councils understand that adapting to climate change will be just as important as reducing carbon emissions.”
“Additional tree cover is just one of many methods councils use to lower temperatures in urban areas,” he added, along with things like laying sand to soak up melted tar on roads and reduce accidents.