5 ways to reduce the urban heat island effect By Cameron Micallef 17 December 2020 | 1 minute read SHARE A reduction in tree foliage on newly developed suburbs is contributing to a rising urban heat island in Australia, which is leading to more extreme weather conditions, an urban planner has revealed. The removal of trees – along with the energy generated in everyday life, including driving to work – creates a natural urban heat island or UHI, where metropolitan areas become warmer than the rural area surrounding it. Urban areas become significantly warmer than surrounding areas when there is less green cover and more hard surfaces, which absorb, store and radiate heat.