27/05/2026 - 7:00 GMT+2
Ever noticed that it tends to be far hotter in cities than the countryside? This is because of the urban ‘heat island’ effect.
This is when heat is trapped between tall buildings and absorbed by the large amounts of asphalt and concrete found in cities. It is then released back into the air.
Around three quarters of Europeans live in urban areas, and this is expected to increase in the coming years.
Larger cities tend to experience stronger heat stress, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The centres of London and Paris, for example, regularly record temperatures of around 4C higher than rural surroundings at night.
