Urban heat in global cities and the role of nature-based solutions in mitigating future climate risks
Approximately eight billion people are living on Earth today with more than half (55%, similar to 4.2 billion) living in cities-a proportion predicted to increase to 70% (similar to 6.6. billion) by 2050. As the human population grows, urban residents will face increasingly extreme temperatures under future climate change, which will affect human well-being, health, and mortality. However, nature-based solutions offer promising strategies to mitigate these impacts. Here, we analyst future projections of the maximum temperature of the warmest month, as a proxy for extreme heat exposure across 5646 cities in 218 countries. We show that by mid-century, this climate metric is projected to increase by an average of +1.7 degrees C (+/- 0.5 degrees C), with the largest increases (similar to 4 degrees C) projected to occur in mid-to-high latitude cities of Europe, North America, and Australia. We highlight the urgent need to adopt nature-based solutions to mitigate projected increases in urban heat and contribute to net-zero CO2 emissions goals.
WOS:001470179100001
Western Sydney University
Western Sydney University
Universite de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV)
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexioc
Macquarie University
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)
University of Granada
University of Melbourne
ISGlobal
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
2025-06-30
4
2
023001
REVIEWED
EPFL