Climate change threatens up to 100% of trees in Australian cities, and most urban species worldwide

Thu, 6 Oct 2022 00:36:52 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/climate-change-threatens-up-to-100-of-trees-in-australian-cities-and-most-urban-species-worldwide-188807>

"To anyone who has stepped off a hot pavement into a shady park, it will come
as little surprise that trees (and shrubs) have a big cooling effect on cities.

Our study published today in Nature Climate Change found climate change will
put 90-100% of the trees and shrubs planted in Australian capital cities at
risk by 2050. Without action, two-thirds of trees and shrubs in cities
worldwide will be at potential risk from climate change.

Increasing city temperatures mean their trees are becoming more important than
ever. More than just shade umbrellas, the natural air-conditioning magic of
trees happens as water moves up from the soil through their roots and
evaporates out of their leaves into the air.

But how will the trees themselves cope with climate change as conditions shift
beyond their natural tolerance limits for high temperatures or lack of water?
Our team of scientists from Australia and France examined the impacts of
temperature and rainfall changes projected for coming decades on 3,129 tree and
shrub species planted in 164 cities across 78 countries.

About half of these urban tree and shrub species are already experiencing
climate conditions beyond their natural tolerance limits.

These findings sound bleak – but read on. We have also identified steps people
can take to help their local trees survive, thrive and keep on cooling."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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