Cities globally warming nearly 30 per cent faster than rural areas: Study

Beijing, Oct 3 (PTI) Cities worldwide are warming by 0.5 degrees Celsius on average per decade, 29 per cent faster than in rural areas, according to a study which suggests that climate change and urban expansion are accelerating surface temperatures.

Researchers from Nanjing University in China and colleagues noted that planting trees and vegetation in cities -- also known as urban greening -- is reported to offset about 0.13 degrees Celsius of surface warming per decade in European cities.

People who live in cities experience greater heat exposure during heat wave events than the general population due to the urban heat island effect, in which urban land gets hotter than surrounding rural land, they said.