Will we adapt to 'Urban Heat Island' affected cities, by 2050?
The loss of green spaces, haphazard urban development, and rising anthropogenic emissions are issues that make up the phenomenon coined the Urban Heat Island Effect. These become especially concerning to communities, children, and the elderly with preexisting health conditions in both developed and underdeveloped nations.
A study from the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in India states that the “Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect has caused an increase in the incidence of heat stress/heat stroke, exhaustion and suicidal tendencies. UHI can also destabilize and change the air circulation pattern around cities that can cause precipitation in nearby areas thus developing new ecological implications.”
A recent study from the School of Social Sciences in Sidney Australia found that “based on data from 1300 cities across the globe, estimates that close to a quarter of the world population (i.e., nearly 1.7 billion persons) is exposed to extreme heat. It is also noted that human health implications of heatwaves are relatively severe in mild and cold climates as compared to the warm ones.”
By the time my kids are in their 30s, will cities become a danger zone if we keep business as usual? If we could change the materials of our cities and reduce radical heat absorption we could keep the heat at a manageable level. I know that’s something I’d like to see.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128207307000173