There are numerous actions to help combat global warming. The main one is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. But what do we do with the gases already in the atmosphere?
Forests absorb CO2 from the atmosphere during the photosynthesis process. However, due to increased human expansion and urbanization, we do not have room for forests. How can we help prevent global warming?
Positive effects of urban vegetation
In cities, spatial planning is a necessary tool to distribute the spaces and assign functionality and certain land uses. In good spatial planning, parks and trees in urban areas cannot be absent. Urban vegetation offers many advantages in the environment of cities.
One of the positive effects is to provide recreational spaces for the urban population where the little ones can become familiar with nature and spend the afternoons outdoors. a very healthy habit for our current technology.
Another effect is to improve the climatic conditions since the vegetation works as a filter and brake at wind speed and it does not allow so many dust particles to be dragged, thus producing soil erosion.
Urban plants also function as noise absorber. Traffic, traffic jams, high noise pollution rates, etc. They are the main sources of noise and the vegetation would act as an acoustic screen, as do the panels on the highways for the houses near it.
Last would reduce environmental pollution since the plants absorb the smoke emitted by motor vehicles and would reduce the polluting effect of the SMOG (an effect that looks like a mist in the morning when viewing the city from afar).
Quick Urban Forestation Project
It's about promoting the implantation of urban forest parks with autochthonous species. These techniques do not require irrigation and would save many costs in water and maintenance for municipal administrations.
This project has been featured in The Casa Encendida in Madrid. The objective of the project is co-financed by the Life + Program and it is about the creation of more green spaces in cities by means of good practices in the implementation, participation and management of urban forests.
According to the data studied, the territories dedicated to green space by surface area of the municipal urban area of the cities of Spain are only between 2 and 5%. However, in Anglo-Saxon territory they dedicate almost 30% of the territory to green spaces.
The concept of urban forests is more developed in the Anglo-Saxon world than in the Mediterranean world.
Implantation technique without watering
To save costs for municipal administrations and save on water in the face of droughts, a plan for the implementation of green spaces has been proposed no need for irrigation. Among the techniques that have been used to check the heat resistance of plants are the implantation of mycorrhizae, which is a fungus that helps the plant retain water and have more vigor.
A method of water retainers will also be implemented. These are polymers that are used in the roots of trees to be able to retain moisture when it rains.
The benefits of creating urban forests are not only the creation of microclimates with respect to a garden, but also help clean the air and the floor, and in the recreational part in terms of society. People enjoy a forest more than a park without trees.
There are also other advantages and benefits, apart from the environmental ones, such as social and economic ones as they can be the use of pruning of forests to be able to produce biomass energy or for compost.
This initiative can be consulted on the Quick Urban Forestación website.