People by a water sprinkler at the Small Square in Krakow, Poland in June 2022. Photo: AFP
Many parts of Europe are still baking under a heatwave, with Spain and Portugal hitting the mid-forties.
While not hitting these extremes, New Zealand's cities are also getting hotter.
According to NIWA data, cities like Wellington and Hamilton saw record temperatures last summer and Auckland could face nearly 50 extra hot days each year by the end of the century.
The rise in temperature is partly due to the urban heat island effect, where roads, buildings, and concrete trap heat, making cities even warmer than the countryside.
But could increasing the presence of cooling trees and plants help?
Timothy Welch, a Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning from the University of Auckland, talks to Kathryn about some of the changes he says could be made quickly.
