Listen to Urban Heat Islands in Zulu:
Beat The Heat By Understanding Urban Heat Islands
The world is heating up because of urban heat islands
This past summer in the northern hemisphere clearly showed us the shocking realities of what we’ve been doing to our planet and what that means for us as a species.
Europe Is Baking Due To Urban Heat Islands (And We Don’t Mean Pastries)
With temperatures regularly reaching more than 40 C in many cities, and wildfires or droughts in countries that usually only have mild, mostly rainy summers, we’ve had to make plans to stay cool – without cranking up the air conditioners.
(Using even more resources to cool down a planet that is overheating due to our reckless use of resources simply isn’t the answer…)
What Is An Urban Heat Island?
Urban heat islands are bubbles of extreme heat, generated by cities. Heat is trapped by man-made surfaces and structures such as tar roads, pavements and concrete or metal buildings. Instead of this heat being dissipated in the natural way by plants and water sources, the heat is trapped.
Night Brings No Relief From Urban Heat Islands
It doesn’t really get better during the few hours of darkness and then just keeps on baking the next day.
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What Are The Solutions?
Green is the colour of the future. Green spaces, trees, green roofs, plant walls and other natural solutions are the only way to sustainably beat the heat.
“Trees, green roofs, and vegetation can help reduce urban heat island effects by shading building surfaces, deflecting radiation from the sun, and releasing moisture into the atmosphere”
The Thing About Trees
Johannesburg is one of the largest man-made forests in the world.
Johannesburg has more than 10 million trees. With a population of 6 million people.
This means that there are nearly 2 trees per person – greatly reducing the risks of the devastating heatwaves we have seen in Europe over the last couple of months.
In comparison, London, with a population of very nearly 10 million people, only has about 8 million trees within the city.
Less than one tree per person…Sounds hot. (But in a bad way!)
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How Do I Bring This Home?
It’s simple: If you’ve got the space, plant a tree.
If you’ve got less space, plant a shrub.
Indigenous grasses, even Waterwise solutions like succulents and hardy aloes can help you keep your own home cooler, without burning through electricity to cool down by artificial means.
If you can’t plant a tree yourself, why not donate to a charity that works toward Urban Greening
Trees And Food For Africa Is Just Such A Charity
By taking a two-pronged approach to urban greening, they are actively and successfully working on urban forestry.
They plant trees for all, in shared spaces, to promote a healthier environment in general, but also offer trees for private homes in disadvantaged areas, creating sources of food and beauty in our townships.
