Achi news desk-
temperature (symbolic image)
– Photo: Amar Ojala
expansion
Urbanization has increased the heat in Indian cities by 60 percent. Tier 2 cities in eastern India are most affected by this. For example, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, urbanization contributed 90 percent to the heat. This was revealed in a study by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar. The results of the study by researchers Soumya Satyakant Sethi and V Vinoj were published in the international journal Nature Cities.
“Researchers studied the effects of urbanization and changes in the local climate on rising temperatures in 141 major cities over the past two decades. To know the trends of the temperature increase in these cities, we used the data received from the NASA satellite between the years 2003 and 2020. These temperature data show increasing temperature trends near the surface of the ground. With their help, researchers compared the trends of the temperature increase in cities and rural areas. According to the researchers , while the rising temperature in rural areas is due to regional changes in climate, in cities both climate change and urbanization are responsible for this, i.e., increased concrete in cities and changes in land use generate additional heat.
The danger will increase even more
The study estimates that by 2050, 68 percent of the world’s population will live in cities. By then the danger of extreme heat will increase even more. Although it is considered a sign of social progress, rapid unplanned urbanization poses a serious threat to the environment in many parts of the world. Even humans themselves are not sure of this.
