With more heat, wind and intense bursts of rainfall on their way to Japan, city planners face difficult challenges to protect people and their property from extreme weather events. But the changes required are both practical and possible. Urban development, which has been one of the major causes of climate change, could now be adapted to become one of the solutions.
Over the twentieth century Japan experienced a temperature rise of around 1°C. But, crucially, the rise in large cities is believed to have been around 2–3°C. This so-called ‘urban heat island’ effect is particularly strong in Japan largely owing to excess heat generated in cars, homes and businesses, and the lack of natural soil or vegetation. Unusually high temperatures of 39°C and higher have been recorded in urban areas in the last decade, and the numbers of people admitted to hospital with heatstroke have increased.