Impact of vegetation cover loss on surface temperature and carbon emission in a fastest-growing city, Cumilla, Bangladesh

Human pressures, combined with changing hydrology and land resources, have a distinct effect on the carbon chain and ecosystem resilience. The increase in urban areas contributes significantly to the loss of vegetation cover (VC), which accelerates carbon emissions, increasing land surface temperature (LST) and global warming. This study used remote sensing and GIS techniques to estimate the Land Use/Land Cover (LU/LC) changes by focusing on VC loss and its impact on LST and carbon emissions over Cumilla during 1994-2019. The study's findings confirmed an alarming reduction of VC by 6.65% from 1994 to 2009 with around 20% increase of urban area, contributing LST rise from 23 ? to 31 ?. The trends were continuous, with a decrease in VC loss by 1.75% during 2009-2019, contributing 28 ?-36 ?& nbsp;LST rise in the study area. The results also confirmed a significant positive correlation between VC loss and LST. Results indicate that the massive amount of carbon attracted the sun's rays due to the VC loss and raising the surface temperature by 11.2 ?& nbsp;(1.86 ?/year) since 1994, which directly contributing to global warming. Thus, to mitigate climate hazards, efforts to slow urbanization to reduce pollution gateways and increase carbon sinks through afforestation will significantly contribute to protecting humanity from global warming.

Automated summary

Human pressures, changing hydrology and land resources have a significant impact on the carbon chain and ecosystem resilience. Urbanization leads to vegetation cover reduction, accelerating carbon emissions and increasing land surface temperature. This study used remote sensing and GIS techniques to estimate Land Use/Land Cover changes in Cumilla from 1994 to 2019, finding a concerning decrease in vegetation cover, urban expansion, and continuous rise in land surface temperature.