The unusual heat wave that affects the Canary Islands in the middle of autumn and which is especially felt in the south of Tenerife, with temperatures exceeding 35 degreesonce again highlights a demand that is increasingly gaining strength among residents and tourists: the creation of more public shaded spaces in the region to mitigate high temperatures and the effects of the sun on health.
Neighborhood associations and environmental organizations demand that urban environments be adapted to climate change with “more trees and less cement” in squares, walks and sidewalks, a demand shared by architects from the South, who are in favor of creating more green areas and betting decisively on the placement of awnings and pergolas in open places where there are now no spaces to shelter from the sun.
While environmental associations emphasize the beneficial effects of vegetation in the face of global warming, by helping to refresh the air, both architectural and medical professionals emphasize the seriousness of a problem that requires, in their opinion, “greater awareness” of public administrations. They give as an example some playgrounds that do not have a simple awning, a sail or a tree to protect themselves from solar radiation. “Investing in shadow spaces is not an expense, but an investment in quality of life and, above all, in the health of citizens,” they insist.
Experts and health officials remember that prolonged episodes of heat and haze, such as the one the Archipelago is experiencing at this time and which will last at least one more week, cause an increase in deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, especially among people of advanced age and chronic pathologies, as well as an increase in cases of skin cancer due to exposure to the sun without proper protection.
Experts emphasize that with a greater population of trees, the effect known as “heat island” is reduced, caused by thermal accumulation in buildings, concrete, asphalt and sidewalks during the day and its release at night. Furthermore, the lack of vegetation in urban environments reduces the natural cooling capacity through water evaporation.
