Words by Abi Scaife
A new study has found that planting more trees could save lives.
Hang on … what?
That’s right! Researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health found that increasing the number of trees in urban areas can lower temperatures.
The European average tree coverage in urban areas is around 14.9%. By planting more trees and increasing the average to 30%, temperatures in those places can be lowered by as much as 0.4C.
So what does that have to do with saving lives?
Heatwaves can have a huge impact on people’s health - one particularly bad heatwave in 2003 caused more than 70,000 excess deaths across Europe.
By putting in preventative measures, like planting trees, the hope is that we can avoid these unnecessary deaths altogether - as well as other, less serious health problems, like heatstroke.
This article aligns with the UN SDG Good Health and Wellbeing.
