Green Inequality in Urban Cooling
Study led by Rob McDonald of The Nature Conservancy found trees offset nearly half of urban heat.
Average cooling effect of trees is 0.27°F, but distribution is uneven.
40% of wealthy nations' cities benefit, while <9% of poor countries' cities do.
Cities like Kuwait City, Jeddah, and Amman have minimal tree cover, no cooling benefit.
Planting trees is important but not a silver bullet for climate change.
Trees can reduce urban heating by max 20% in arid regions.
2 weeks ago