The scientific world is now unanimous that climate change is occurring.
Rising sea levels, more frequent and intense precipitation, floods, cyclones and storms, and more extreme heat and cold are tangible threats.
Urban areas are a major contributor to accelerating climate change.
Cities are home to more than half of the world's population and are responsible for 60 to 80 percent of energy consumption and at least 70 percent of human carbon dioxide emissions.
In particular, trees and forests have a fundamental role to play: they help mitigate climate change.
How do they do this?
By intercepting rain thanks to their canopy, by retaining water and by increasing the permeable surface of urban soils, they reduce the impact of precipitation, the flow of rainwater and therefore the possibility of floods and landslides.
Let's discover together some virtuous examples in this sense!
PLANT FOR THE PLANET
In Europe, the most important project is called "Plant for the Planet" and is the work of the young German environmentalist Felix Finkbeiner.
The initiative consists of planting as many trees as possible to counteract the harmful effects of carbon dioxide.
The idea came to the young man after taking a school course on photosynthesis and studying the story of Wangari Maathai, an environmentalist who founded a movement to plant over 30 million trees across Africa.
Similarly, Felix founded the Plant for the Planet movement, whose goal is to plant one million trees in each participating country.
BILLION TSUNAMI TREES.
In Pakistan, to address the challenges of climate change, the government launched Billion Tsunami Trees, a reforestation effort that has seen the planting of one billion trees.
The goal of the project?
In addition to improving the landscape, it limits the effects of erosion and reduces the risk of flooding.
REFORESTATION IN LIMA
Lima is conducting a project to reforest degraded urban slopes and reduce the risk of landslides.
In addition, trees are essential for shading buildings, recreation areas, pedestrian paths and mitigating urban heat, while providing shelter from heavy rains.
GREENEST CITY ACTION PLAN
Vancouver launched the Greenest City Action Plan in 2011 with the goal of becoming the greenest city.
Their goal is to improve access to green space to build community and improve the health of residents.
FORESTAMI
Milan recently launched the ForestaMi program with the goal of becoming the greenest city in Italy, with 3 million new trees to be planted by 2030.
SPAIN'S GREEN BELTVITORIA
Gasteiz launched an ambitious project in the 1990s to build a green belt around the city to recover degraded areas and create new recreational areas.
To date, the green belt measures 800 hectares of expansion.
Each of us is called upon to do our part!
If you're feeling inspired, check out our tips: 10 steps to save the planet!
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