Global warming: greener cities as a solution

It has been clear for some time that the summer is turning Italian cities into real ovens. Everything about the . to fight global warming which has now reached peaks of more than 36°. In addition, heat increases the risk of fire and potential health risks, even for the healthiest young people.

To testify to hellish temperatures, the thermal cards created by ECOSTRESS, a specific instrument installed on the ISS and able to temperature off the ground. These images, published by ESA, are easy to understand. The green and blue hues define the cooler areas, then the red and orange the warmer ones.

The thermal maps have detected the first heat wave in Europe in some metropolitan cities (including Milan and Paris), dating back to June 18 last year. The result of these analyzes shows how clearly the task of green areas And waterways to reduce the heat of the city. In short, greenery and the presence of water could be life-saving for humanity and help it survive the record heat. In Milan, for example, the Vertical Forest and large urban parks register temperatures up to 12 degrees lower than the concrete areas.

All thanks to the plants that release the water collected by the roots back into the atmosphere via steam. This lowers the air temperature. One of the hottest areas in Milan is the vegetable market, probably thanks to the drains from the cooling systems, for storing fruits and vegetables. The data recorded by ECOSTRESS will be used by ESA to monitor the increase in city temperature. In addition, also to create new climate models that are useful for estimating the future amount of water for the agriculture sector.