'In Greece climate crisis more effective in cities than in the countryside' research reveals

A study conducted in cities in Greece revealed that due to the climate crisis, temperatures have increased more in crowded cities than in the countryside, and the temperature difference between day and night has decreased, causing heat accumulation in cities. Dr. Dimitra Funda, Director of the Institute for Environment and Sustainable Development Research at the National Observatory of Athens, told AA correspondent about the research they conducted on the problems caused by the climate crisis in big cities.

Funda pointed out that the negative effects of the climate crisis in cities are much greater than in the countryside. Pointing out that the sum of Athens, Thessaloniki and Larisa, which are the subject of their research, corresponds to more than half of the country's population, Funda stated that the climate crisis is felt more in crowded cities where the population is concentrated and therefore a large segment of the population is deeply affected. Pointing out that Greece is located in the Eastern Mediterranean, where air temperatures have increased twice as much as in other parts of the world since 1980, Funda said, "We are in a very sensitive region. And when our population is concentrated in big cities, we face another danger, another burden from the urban heat island (UHI). UHI is a concept that makes cities hotter than the surrounding rural areas."

Urban is hotter due to dense development

Funda explained that the reasons why urban centers are hotter than rural areas include dense construction and the materials used in buildings, especially cement, and explained that cement collects the sun's rays during the day, stores the heat and radiates it around at night.

Funda underlined that the lack of green areas in big cities is also one of the reasons for the high temperature and said, "In areas where vegetation exists, a cooling mechanism is formed due to the sweating of plants. When there are no green areas in cities, we are deprived of this cooling mechanism."

Emphasizing that human-induced causes such as motor vehicles and the use of air conditioners also increase the heat in cities, Funda said, "The main difference of big cities from rural areas is that this increased temperature manifests itself mostly at night. 

Temperatures remain high even during the night in cities

The temperature difference between day and night is decreasing.This is a big problem for human health.

" Underlining that the decrease in night temperature is important for the human body, which is exposed to thermal stress during the day, to renew itself and rest, Funda said, "The fact that the night temperature does not decrease causes the thermal stress on the human body to increase even more.

In our research in major cities of Greece such as Athens, Thessaloniki and Larisa, we have seen that both day and night temperatures have been very high since 2000." 

The negative impact of heat accumulation in cities on human health

Stating that this has a great impact on human health, Funda said that this effect will vary depending on the age of the individual, existing diseases and how long the high temperature continues.

Funda said that heat accumulation in cities can cause many problems such as respiratory and heart diseases and heat stroke due to the increase in thermal stress in the human body. Emphasizing that attention should be paid to the building materials used in order to cope with these problems in cities, Funda added that the construction of buildings with good insulation that do not require too much energy use, the use of materials that do not trap heat on pavements, and increasing green areas will also be beneficial. AA