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Students warn canopy decline could reach risky levels by 2032, link loss to heat and health
Summary
The green team projected that, absent intervention, canopy coverage could fall below 40% by about 2032 and warned that lower canopy is tied to higher temperatures, poorer air quality and elevated risks for infants, older adults and people with preexisting conditions.
Presenters said their projection model indicates a continuing decline in canopy that could push overall coverage below 40% by about 2032 — a level the students said many scholars associate with elevated health risks. The team connected canopy loss to heat amplification on paved surfaces and to worsened air quality that can increase heat-related illness and cardiovascular and respiratory disease.
"And according to that, in around the year 2032, we expect the number to drop below 40%, which is by many scholars consider at threshold...dangerous to certain populations such as infants, elders, or people with preexisting medical conditions," one presenter said. The students recommended local air-quality assessments in low-canopy zones and prioritized outreach to households with vulnerable residents.
