Heat islands have an impact on health costs

(© Image: Depositphotos) - A new study has produced the first cost estimate of the impact that urban heat islands have on human health. The study looked at 85 European cities over the course of three full years, meaning it also took into account the protection that heat islands offer in winter - an aspect that has been little studied until now. The heat islands found in many European cities have a clear impact on human mortality risk - one that's comparable to air pollution or, in cost terms, the price paid by city dwellers for public transport. At least that's according to a study published recently in Nature Communications , which puts the average cost at €192 for the heat-related effects per adult resident per year. The study is the first to quantify the economic consequences of a problem that's common to many urban areas around the world but that scientists still struggle to grasp in all its complexity. To reach such straightforward, tangible figures, the research team combined data and methods from an array of disciplines including urban climatology, epidemiology, economics, statistics, and mathematical modeling. "Our research shows that heat islands aren't just about people feeling too hot in the summer," says Gabriele Manoli, the study's corresponding author.