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.
10.1088_2752-5295_adcb61.pdf
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http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
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