Rapidly Increasing Temperatures Pose a Major Concern for Europe and Turkey on a Global Scale
Europe is facing a growing challenge in adapting to climate change, particularly in the realm of urban heat islands (UHIs) and heatwaves. A recent study in Nature Communications projects that these phenomena will become more frequent and intense across the continent this century, posing significant risks to public health, especially among aging populations.
The rise in temperatures is evident. Since the 1970s, the number of summer days over 25°C has increased by 43%. This heat island effect is largely due to materials such as asphalt and concrete absorbing and retaining heat, raising city temperatures by two to four degrees compared to the countryside.
This issue is of major concern, given that almost 70% of Europe's population lives in urban areas. In Portugal, for instance, researchers found that hospital admissions rose by 18.9% during heatwave days. France's Aude department saw its largest wildfire in 75 years, burning an area equivalent to Paris and killing one person.
To combat these challenges, European cities are developing integrated municipal heat resilience strategies. These strategies combine urban redesign, nature-based solutions, heat-health action plans, and inclusive governance focusing on vulnerable populations like the elderly.
Key measures include the development of comprehensive heat-health action plans (HHAPs) that identify vulnerable groups and implement protective measures. Cities like Maribor, Weiz, and Hajdúböszörmény have created such plans, covering detailed strategies and operational actions to improve heat resilience.
Urban design adaptations also play a crucial role. These adaptations include creating wind corridors for ventilation, increasing green infrastructure, reducing concrete surfaces, and improving water use to cool urban environments. Paris’s green roofs and Brussels’s shaded structures exemplify these efforts.
Addressing social and demographic vulnerabilities is another critical aspect. Elderly populations, especially in dense urban settings, often lack access to private green and cooling spaces. Public planning must therefore prioritize equitable access to green spaces, cooling centers, and heat protection in areas with high concentrations of such populations.
Embedding heat resilience into city governance is essential. This involves coordinating across multiple departments and taking practical steps such as heat mapping to identify hotspots, setting up climate shelters, and appointing dedicated personnel like Chief Heat Officers.
Promoting public awareness and preparedness is also key. This includes running campaigns and providing real-time information on heat risks and cool spaces to empower residents to adopt heat-safe behaviors.
These measures are urgent, given that Europe is experiencing some of the fastest rises in temperatures globally. The integration of adaptation with mitigation and social equity considerations is essential to ensure European cities remain liveable despite these growing climate pressures.
This summer, Türkiye established a new all-time European temperature record with 50.5 °C in the southeastern province of Sirnak. By 2030, Türkiye could move into the "water poor" category, with 80% of its population and agricultural land facing drought risk. Warmer waters in the Black Sea will increase the risk of flooding, storm surges, and coastal erosion. Higher sea levels could cause salinisation of farmland near the shore, threatening agricultural productivity in Türkiye.
Moreover, southern regions of Europe, including parts of Spain and the Balearic Islands, are projected to transition to a steppe- or desert-like climate by 2050, with rainfall falling up to 20%. Last year was the warmest on record in Europe, with record sea surface temperatures and unprecedented numbers of extreme heat days.
The European Commission warns that without stronger action, climate damage to cities could be up to ten times worse by 2100. The commission's Joint Research Centre reports that surface temperatures in cities can be up to 10-15 degrees Celsius higher than in surrounding rural areas during the summer.
A U.N.-supported report warns that 88% of Türkiye is vulnerable to desertification, with rainfall projected to fall by up to 30% by the end of the century. These challenges underscore the urgency of implementing effective climate adaptation strategies in European cities.
References:
- Maribor Heat Health Action Plan
- Heatwaves in Europe: Public Health Risks and Preparedness
- Adapting European Cities to Climate Change
- Paris' Green Roofs
- Brussels' Shaded Structures
- Heat waves and urban heat islands (UHIs) in Istanbul, Turkey (a part of Turkiye), may become more frequent and intense, posing risks to public health, particularly among aging populations, similar to the trends seen in Europe.
- In line with the European cities' approach, Istanbul could benefit from the adoption of integrated municipal heat resilience strategies, combining urban redesign, nature-based solutions, heat-health action plans, and inclusive governance to protect vulnerable populations like the elderly.
- Given the increase in temperatures and the heat island effect, there's a need for Turkey to focus on key measures such as establishing comprehensive heat-health action plans (HHAPs), incorporating green infrastructure, enlarging green spaces in urban settings, and reducing concrete surfaces to cool urban environments.
- To ensure the livability of cities like Istanbul amidst growing climate pressures, Turkey should pay attention to the challenges associated with social and demographic vulnerabilities, prioritize equitable access to green spaces, cooling centers, and heat protection for the elderly, and embed heat resilience into city governance with a focus on identifying hotspots, establishing climate shelters, and appointing dedicated personnel like Chief Heat Officers.
