Cologne is heating up: This is how the city plans to combat the heat wave!

Cologne is heating up: This is how the city plans to combat the heat wave!

Cologne is facing a real challenge: rising temperatures and the high degree of sealing are contributing to the development of urban heat islands. This not only has an impact on the city's climate, but also on the health of Cologne residents. The city's high sealing level is currently 49.7 percent and is the second highest in North Rhine-Westphalia, only behind Euskirchen. For comparison: Düsseldorf has 44.5 percent and Dortmund 42.9 percent. This is reported by the Cologne City Gazette.

In contrast, unsealed areas, such as the Königsforst or the Outer Green Belt, are several degrees Celsius cooler. This shows how important it is to reduce the sealed areas in Cologne. The German Environmental Aid's Heat Affected Index (HBI) determined a value of 15.98 for Cologne, which is alarming. The HBI shows how badly people in the city are affected by heat and a lack of greenery.

Measures to improve the urban climate

In order to meet these challenges, the city of Cologne is planning several measures to promote the city's climate. This includes unsealing 1,000 square meters on Zülpicher Strasse as well as unsealing various schoolyards. As part of the “Green High 3” funding program, facade and roof greening will also be supported. Urban greenery is not only viewed as an aesthetic element, but also has a cooling effect worth considering, which can also be achieved with water surfaces, such as DWD data suggest.

A differentiated sealing map from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology shows that the number of tropical nights, i.e. nights with temperatures above 20 degrees, will increase significantly by the middle of the century, particularly in densely built-up areas of the city. This is being exacerbated by urbanization and global warming. A combination of unsealing and greening can provide valuable relief here.

Global perspectives and local solutions

But how do other countries deal with similar problems? In southern countries such as Greece, for example, the use of white paint to reflect sunlight is used as a countermeasure. In Cologne, however, the city's decision-makers still have numerous measures planned to minimize the underestimated and often unknown influence of urban heat islands. These strategies are important to improve both the quality of life and the health of the Cologne population.

The DWD is already warning of a doubling of hot days on which temperatures rise above 30 degrees and recommends making good use of the sunny days to cool down and drink enough water. A healthy lifestyle when temperatures rise will ultimately also be a question of the city's climate.

It remains to be hoped that the measures discussed will bear fruit and that Cologne will soon have a significantly milder heat island landscape that promotes the well-being of its citizens. Because one thing is certain: a good hand in dealing with the challenges of climate change is urgently needed.