The climate threat|Global challenges

The roads knock out the parks – the researchers sound the health alarm

The residents of Egypt's capital, Cairo, are threatened by shrinking green areas, experts warn, according to Reuters. The ambition to eliminate traffic congestion comes at the expense of the city's trees and parks, and by extension the opportunity to seek shade in the heat.

Between 2017 and 2020, a drastic reduction of the city's green areas was seen and the issue has caused great debate, especially after the thermometers showed upwards of 43 degrees during the summer's extreme heat.

The environmental scientist and sociologist Sana Sherif points out that the living conditions of the inhabitants are affected by climate change, which brings more heat waves.

- Without sufficient shade and cooling areas, residents are more likely to suffer from heat-related illnesses.

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Promise of 100 million trees questioned: "Where are they?"

Egypt's government has promised to plant 100 million new trees until 2029. This as a response to criticism that followed that extensive road construction led to shrinking green areas, including in the capital Cairo, writes Reuters.

However, the environmental activist Asmaa al-Halwagy, who represents the organization Tree Lovers Association, does not give much for that promise at the moment. He says that politicians often say that "50, 500, 3,000 or a million" trees have been planted.

- Where are those trees?

The debate has gained momentum during the summer's extreme heat, with temperatures in the capital of up to 43 degrees. Scientists warn that the lack of shade in the long run is harmful to health.

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The trend is broken - July "only" the second warmest ever

There was no heat record for July 2024, according to the EU's climate service Copernicus. This year's July was "only" the second warmest recorded on earth so far, thus breaking the 13-month record streak.

The global average temperature in July was 16.91 degrees, which is 0.04 degrees cooler than in July last year. In contrast, it is 0.68 degrees warmer than the average for the month 1991–2020 and 1.48 degrees warmer than the average during pre-industrial times (1850–1900).

- The streak of record months has ended, but it was by the hair. Globally, July 2024 was almost as warm as July 2023, the hottest month on record, Samantha Burgess, deputy director at Copernicus, said in a press release.