New analysis of 5.5 million buildings shows 84% fall short of tree canopy levels required for meaningful cooling.
New analysis of 5.5 million buildings shows 84% fall short of tree canopy levels required for meaningful cooling.
More than four in five homes and workplaces across 25 European cities have less nearby tree canopy than what is needed for meaningful cooling, according to an open-data analysis by an urban greening expert.
Dr Thami Croeser from RMIT University has mapped tree canopy within 60 metres of 5.5 million buildings across France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Greece and the UK.
His analysis found 84% of buildings fall below the 30% nearby canopy threshold identified in urban heat literature as important for reducing dangerous urban heat island effects.
Read More: RMIT University
Image: Tree canopy map showing 96% of Paris's buildings are below the 30% canopy threshold for meaningful daytime cooling. Credit: RMIT's Dr Thami Croeser, Google EIE canopy, Jun 2026
