Climate change threatens the health and survival of urban trees and the various benefits they deliver to urban inhabitants. This research shows that 56% and 65% of species in 164 cities across 78 countries are currently exceeding temperature and precipitation conditions. Assessment of 3,129 tree and shrub species, using three metrics related to climate vulnerability: exposure, safety margin and risk shows that, by 2050 70-76% of species will be at risk from projected changes in mean annual temperature and annual precipitation. Risk is predicted to be greatest in cities at low latitudes—such as New Delhi and Singapore where all urban tree species are vulnerable to climate change. These findings aid the evaluation of the impacts of climate change to secure long-term benefits provided by urban forests.
Keywords: climate change, urban forests benefits, urban forests
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