Madrid building a huge urban forest in bid to combat climate change

To combat climate change and pollution, Madrid is building a green wall around the city. A 75-kilometre urban forest with nearly half a million new trees “What we want to do is to improve the air quality in the whole city,” says Mariano Fuentes, Madrid’s councillor for the environment and urban development. “To fight the ‘heat island’ effect that is happening inside the city, to absorb the greenhouse emissions generated by the city, and to connect all the existing forest masses that already exist around the city.” The project will also make use of derelict sites lying between roads and buildings to help absorb 175,000 tons of CO2 per year. When finished, Madrid’s ‘green wall’ will be a forest of indigenous trees that can absorb CO2 but also the heat generated by human activity. Temperatures under the shade of these trees are 2 degrees lower than the rest of the city. Madrid’s urban forest is part of a 360-degree approach aiming to make cities more environmentally friendly, beyond just restricting private car use in urban centres, said Fuentes. “It has to be a global strategy,” added Fuentes. “It’s not only about cars, but also a pedestrianisation strategy, the creation […]

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