Cairo has seen rapid urban expansion to accommodate its nearly 20 million residents, with large-scale road and infrastructure projects peaking since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took power in 2014, often coming at the expense of the city's trees and green spaces.

Newsweek has contacted Egypt's Ministry of Environment for comment.

Why it Matters

In Cairo, less dense upscale new districts and expanded cities boast landscaped green zones—visible in the new capital —while older, less affluent neighborhoods see their tree cover vanish, making green spaces vital for cooling unevenly distributed.

Experts warn that climate change will exacerbate Egypt's arid climate with higher temperatures, erratic rainfall, rising seas, and worsening drought. Any reduction in Nile flows, combined with p

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