- Berlin at the heat check of environmental aid outside Hamburg
Many cities do not sufficiently protect their residents from summer heat, according to the German Environmental Aid. There are too few trees and hedges and too much sealed surface area, an investigation found. Berlin fares relatively well in this regard and ranks 21st nationwide in the Environmental Aid's city ranking, ahead of Hamburg, Munich, or Frankfurt.
Environmental Aid analyzed satellite data
For its heat check, Environmental Aid analyzed satellite data and compared the sealed surface area and green spaces of the 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. However, Environmental Aid also awarded 84 green cards to cities with relatively little sealing and plenty of cooling greenery - including Berlin.
Cities in southern Germany performed particularly poorly, including Ludwigshafen (Rhineland-Palatinate), Heilbronn (Baden-Württemberg), Regensburg (Bavaria), Worms, Mainz (both in Rhineland-Palatinate), and Ludwigsburg (Baden-Württemberg). Environmental Aid rated cities like Detmold (North Rhine-Westphalia), Potsdam (Brandenburg), and Jena (Thuringia) as exemplary.
Trees have a cooling effect
Given the climate change, green spaces and unsealed soils, where water can infiltrate, are particularly important, Environmental Aid emphasized. However, trees, shrubs, and meadows are even more effective than lawns. Large trees, in particular, have a cooling effect.
In Berlin, the "Initiative Volksentscheid Baum" demands that many more trees be planted to better protect the population from extreme weather events such as heat, drought, and heavy rain. It has submitted a draft law and wants to vote on it in a referendum parallel to the election of the House of Representatives, but it still needs to collect the required signatures. According to its conviction, there should be at least one tree on each side of the street every 15 meters in Berlin.
Environmental Aid Ranking
The European Union could provide funding and resources to encourage urban planning that prioritizes green spaces and tree planting, as demonstrated by Berlin's improvement in Environmental Aid's city ranking. The European Union, with its influence over various city development policies, could help tackle the issue of inadequate heat protection in many cities, including those in southern Germany like Ludwigshafen and Heilbronn.
