The Urban Heat Island Effect is causing global warming

Myth:

Temperature increases over the past century are explained by the Urban Heat Island Effect – that is, by urbanisation – in that cities are ‘darker’ and therefore reflect less heat than rural areas. 

Fact:

There is a little bit of truth to this, but the impact of the Urban Heat Island Effect on global temperatures is minuscule compared to that of CO₂ and methane.

The Urban Heat Island Effect. More heat is retained in urban areas than in rural ones. [Source: Wikimedia Commons]

Sources:

“Does Urban Heat Island effect exaggerate global warming trends?” Skeptical Science. https://skepticalscience.com/urban-heat-island-effect.htm

David Parker, “Urban heat island effects on estimates of observed climate change,” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change, 1, 2010

“Heat Island Trends,” United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/heat-island-trends

Aaron Krol, “As cities grow around weather stations, does the hot pavement skew our measurements of global warming?,” MIT Climate Portal, 10/6/26