2024-08-04 01:00:56
Where there is a lot of asphalt, it quickly becomes unbearably hot in summer. Tall trees and green spaces can help. But are there enough of them?
According to the German Environmental Aid, many cities do not protect their residents well from the summer heat. According to a study, there are too few trees and hedges and too much sealed area. As a result, the cities are turning into “heat hells,” criticizes the lobby organization. “The ongoing trend towards more concrete and less greenery is alarming,” it said.
For its heat check, the environmental aid organization analyzed satellite data and compared the sealing of surfaces and green spaces in 190 cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. The result: 24 cities failed in both categories, and another 82 cities performed poorly in at least one category. At the same time, the environmental aid organization also distributed 84 green cards to cities with comparatively little sealing and a lot of cooling green space.
Cities in the south of Germany fared particularly poorly, specifically Ludwigshafen (Rhineland-Palatinate), Heilbronn (Baden-Württemberg), Regensburg (Bavaria), Worms, Mainz (both Rhineland-Palatinate), Ludwigsburg (Baden-Württemberg) and Ingolstadt (Bavaria). In contrast, the environmental organization rated Detmold, Ratingen (both North Rhine-Westphalia), Potsdam (Brandenburg), Jena (Thuringia) and Hattingen (North Rhine-Westphalia) as exemplary. Berlin also fared comparatively well, coming in 21st place – significantly better than Hamburg, Munich or Frankfurt.
In view of climate change, green spaces and unsealed soils where water can seep away are particularly important, stressed the environmental organization. However, trees, bushes and meadows are even more effective than lawns. Large trees in particular have a cooling effect. The organization is calling on the federal government to prescribe nationwide standards for greening school playgrounds, for example.
Construction Minister Klara Geywitz has just presented a strategy for protection against heat. It also recommends more parks, street trees and green roofs. To prevent plants from drying out during longer dry periods, areas must be created where rain can seep away. “Anyone who wants fresh money from our funding programs must consider and prove climate adaptation,” Geywitz also explained. Funding will be provided, for example, for clearing rivers of concrete and digging up concrete squares and planting greenery.
The German Social Association viewed this as an important first step. Older people, children and people with disabilities, as well as residents of poorly insulated apartments, in particular, need to be better protected. The federal government, states and municipalities must now pull together here.