A Local Climate Change Story Hiding in Plain Sight
Have you ever walked along a street that felt too hot, and then suddenly stepped into a cooler part of the same road? What changed? Most likely, there was a tree.
Trees give shade, cool the air, and make streets feel pleasant. But when one big tree is cut down, the difference can be felt almost immediately. The sunlight hits the road directly. The breeze feels weaker. The ground stays warm even after sunset.
Many people think climate change is something far away — ice caps melting or forests burning in other countries. But sometimes, it starts with just one tree disappearing in your own neighbourhood.
The Science Behind the Heat
A study by the University of Wisconsin showed that neighbourhoods with trees were as much as 10 degrees cooler than those without trees. In cities like Delhi and Bengaluru, this can be the difference between a comfortable walk and a dangerous heatwave.
The Times of India once covered a story from Bengaluru where several old trees were cut during road work. After that, a local resident said, "We never needed air conditioning before. Now even ceiling fans feel useless in the afternoons."
This kind of change is part of something called a microclimate — where one street can be hotter than another, just because of tree cover. It may sound small, but when it happens across thousands of streets in hundreds of cities, it becomes a big problem.
And that’s when local tree loss turns into a bigger issue — climate change, right outside our homes.
The Problem: Urban Heat Islands
Why Are Our Cities Getting Hotter?
Cities are made of roads, buildings, and concrete. These surfaces trap heat during the day and release it slowly at night. This makes cities much warmer than nearby villages or open land.
This is called the urban heat island effect. It means cities can be 2 to 7 degrees Celsius hotter than surrounding areas. The more buildings and traffic, the hotter it gets.
But there’s something that helps cool all this down — trees.
In a 2022 report, NASA scientists said that tree shade can lower ground temperatures by over 10 degrees in some places. And in cities like Ahmedabad or Chennai, this cooling can help save lives during summer.
Dr. Vivek Shandas, an urban climate expert, told The Washington Post, "Trees are the most cost-effective way to cool cities. They are natural air conditioners."
What Trees Really Do For a City
More Than Just Shade
When we look at a tree, we often think it's just standing there. But it’s doing a lot of work every day.
Trees cool the air through shade and by releasing water from their leaves. This process is called transpiration. It works just like sweat does for us — it cools the surface.
A single large tree can provide the same cooling as ten air conditioners running for 20 hours. But unlike machines, trees don’t need electricity. They don’t add noise. They just stand quietly and do their job.
Besides cooling, trees also clean the air, reduce flooding, and give a home to birds and insects. In many ways, they help keep cities alive and healthy.
As one urban planner said in an interview with The Guardian, "Cutting a tree is not just losing green cover. It’s like switching off a city’s cooling system."
What One Resident Saw After a Tree Was Cut
"It Was Like the Sun Moved Closer"
In the quiet lane of Sarjapur Road in Bengaluru, there used to be a tall peepal tree right in front of Mrs. Meena Rao’s house. It stood there for over thirty years. Birds nested in it. Kids played under it. And every summer, it gave shade to the whole stretch of road.
Last year, it was cut down for road widening. “We didn’t even get a notice,” she said. “One morning, they came with machines and it was gone in two hours.”
Meena didn’t expect how quickly the change would hit her. “It was like the sun moved closer to our house,” she said. “The road outside is too hot to walk on in the afternoon. Our living room now stays warm all day. Even the birds don’t come anymore.”
Her electricity bill went up, too. “We had to start using the AC more often, even in March. Earlier, we managed with just fans.”
What Meena felt is part of a bigger pattern. When trees go, heat takes their place. And when this happens in home after home, city after city, the impact becomes global.
“It was just one tree,” she said softly, “but it changed everything.”
How You Can Help Bring Trees Back
It Starts with Just One Step
You don’t have to be a scientist or a policymaker to fight climate change. You just need to care about what’s around you. And the easiest place to start is with trees.
Is there a tree in your street that looks like it might be cut soon? Talk to your neighbours. Ask your local ward office about it. Sometimes, just asking questions can stop a tree from being removed.
If you have space, plant a native tree. Talk to your local nursery or tree groups — they’ll help you find the right kind. Even small saplings can grow into giants over time.
You can also join a tree walk or volunteer with groups that protect green spaces. These people are doing amazing work — and they always need more hands and hearts.
One tree might not change the whole world. But it can change a street. A home. A life.
As Wangari Maathai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner from Kenya, once said, "It’s the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees."
What will your little thing be?
References
1. Nature Sustainability: Severe decline in large farmland trees in India over the past decade (2024)
2. BBC Future: How urban trees can save cities (2020)
3. World Resources Institute: Urban Heat Islands Explained (2022)