“tropical nights’ and greening our cities
by The blog at woodlands.co.uk, 3 April, 2021, 0 comments
Much of England experienced a series of ‘tropical nights’ last summer, when night time temperatures were 20oC or above. These tropical nights were associated with the heat wave that affected most of south east England. Central London experienced its longest stretch of extreme daytime temperatures since the 1960’s - temperatures of 30+oC were recorded on six consecutive days. A number of experts have said that such heatwaves and associated tropical nights are likely to become more common as a consequence of climate change.
We were not alone in experiencing high temperatures by day and night, much of western Europe sweltered in the heat this August. The problem was most marked in urban areas and large cities. Some three-quarters of the population of Europe now live in urban areas. Extreme heat affects our health causing general discomfort, malaise, respiratory problems, headaches, heat stroke, heat cramps and heat-related mortality. Read more...