Trees were already known for cooling and cleaning the air of cities. A Europe-wide, participative science project shows how much their density matters for urban biodiversity.
North America’s 2021 extreme heat event should compel governments to scale innovations from leading cities and countries to advance resilient, restorative and renewable cities.
Extreme heat waves are putting lives in danger, with some of the hottest urban neighborhoods 10 degrees hotter or more than their wealthier neighbors. Often, these are communities of color.
More carbon dioxide in the air doesn’t necessarily mean more growth for trees, and the increasing risk of wildfires and drought has major consequences, as an interactive map shows.
Planting trees and preventing deforestation can store carbon in nature, but the effect may only be temporary. If we also eliminate emissions from fossil fuels, even this temporary effect is important.
This network of vegetation reserves and corridors along Australian roads must be properly valued and better protected. But they’re vulnerable to vandals, lopping and car collisions.