Around 46% of hospitals and 43% of schools are in areas at least
2 degrees Celsius warmer than the regional average - fuelling
fiercer heatwave impacts than in rural areas, the European
Environment Agency (EEA) said on Wednesday, in an analysis of
how Europe can adapt to climate change.
The reason is the urban heat island effect, where dense clusters
of buildings and infrastructure like roads absorb and retain
more heat than green areas.
"This is something which will have severe consequences for human
health," said Blaz Kurnik, head of the EEA's climate adaptation
department.
Climate change, caused by industry continuing to burn fossil
fuels, is making heatwaves hotter and more frequent - a trend
that, when combined with urban heat islands, poses risks
including increased deaths from heat stress to vulnerable
populations like the elderly.
"Vulnerability in Europe is also increasing due to the aging
population, due to the more condensed cities. This is something
that, with the combination of the heat waves, will become quite
a risk for society in the future," Kurnik said.
The phenomenon has already been observed during temperature
extremes. During an August 2003 heatwave, heat-related mortality
in cities in the West Midlands area of Britain was twice as high
as in local rural areas.
The EEA urged governments to introduce measures to lessen the
heat island effect in cities, such as introducing more cooling
green spaces and water. Some already are - such as the City of
Paris's programme to transform 10 pilot schools' grounds into
cooler, greener spaces, with fountains and drought-resistant
plants.
Kurnik said other measures could include bringing forward the
start of school holidays to avoid teaching in intense heat - but
that in general, while all EU countries now have some form of
climate adaptation strategy, most have yet to turn them into
concrete actions.
(Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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