Cape Town is losing its trees
Cape Town may be losing trees faster than they are being replaced, making the city more vulnerable to the effects of global warming.
The loss of trees and the shade they provide has a direct impact on the Urban Heat Island effect, with air and surface temperatures much higher in urban than in rural environments.
As global temperatures rise due to the burning of fossil fuels and loss of forests at the rate of almost 5-million hectares a year, cities are particularly vulnerable, as building materials and city surfaces trap and reflect heat. This can pose a threat to health and life; the August 2003 European heatwave is believed to have led to more than 70,000 additional deaths.
Source: Groundup.news
Related Articles
Comments
