A groundbreaking study from Monash University reveals the life-saving potential of urban greenery in combating heat-related deaths. By increasing vegetation cover by 30%, cities could potentially prevent over 1.16 million deaths worldwide. The research highlights the critical role of green spaces in reducing ambient temperatures and mitigating climate change health impacts. This study provides compelling evidence for urban planners and policymakers to prioritize vegetation in city development strategies.
May 02, 2025
Increasing urban vegetation can save over 1.1 mn lives from heat-related deaths: Study
Amid increasing
global warming and heat-related deaths worldwide, a new study has shown that
expanding urban vegetation cover by 30 per cent could save over one-third of
all deaths caused due to heat, saving up to 1.16 million lives globally.
Key Points
1 Green urban spaces can reduce temperatures by
0.19°C
2 Heat exposure linked to 0.5 million annual deaths
3 Vegetation mitigates climate change health risks
Researchers from
Monash University in Australia showed that increasing vegetation levels by 10
per cent, 20 per cent, and 30 per cent would decrease the global
population-weighted warm-season mean temperature by 0.08 degrees Celsius, 0.14
degrees Celsius, and 0.19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
It can also
prevent 0.86, 1.02, and 1.16 million deaths, respectively.
While increasing
greenness has been proposed as a heat-related death mitigation strategy,
"this is the first modelling study to estimate both the cooling and
modifying effects of greenness, providing a more comprehensive assessment of
its benefits in mitigating heat-related mortality," said Professor Yuming
Guo from the varsity.
The findings,
published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health, are based on a 20-year
modelling study of the impact of increasing greenness in more than 11,000 urban
areas from 2000 to 2019.
Urban areas in
Southern Asia, Eastern Europe, and Eastern Asia were found to have the greatest
reduction in heat-related deaths.
"These
findings indicate that preserving and expanding greenness might be potential
strategies to lower temperature and mitigate the health impacts of heat
exposure," Guo said.
Heat exposure is
a major public health threat and is increasing due to climate change. Between
2000-2019, heat exposure was associated with 0.5 million deaths per year,
accounting for 0.91 per cent of global mortality.
According to
Guo, estimates of heat-related deaths are projected to range from 2.5 per cent
in North Europe to 16.7 per cent in South-East Asia during 2090-99, "under
the most extreme global warming scenarios."
Studies show
that greenness has a cooling effect on temperature, via shading surfaces,
deflecting radiation from the sun, and evapotranspiration (evaporation from
both the ground and plants) which promotes air convection.
This, in turn,
cools the ambient temperature leading to a decrease in population heat
exposure, thereby reducing the heat-related mortality burden.
In addition,
greenness could also modify other related factors such as mental health, social
engagement, physical activity, and air pollution, the researchers said.
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