Words by Smiley Team
Madrid intends to create a “green wall” around the city – said to be a 75km urban forest, with nearly half a million trees – in a bid to combat climate change and cut emissions.
The “forest ring”, as it’s also been dubbed, will be a forest of trees that can absorb CO2, as well as the heat generated by humans. It intends to help absorb 175,000 tons of CO2 per year.
Trees used will be those that require very little watering and can cope with the local environmental conditions.
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“What we want to do is to improve the air quality in the whole city,” Mariano Fuentes, Madrid's councillor for the environment and urban development told Euro News.
“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 "forest ring" has been dubbed “El Bosque Metropolitano” (the Metropolitan Forest) and could be “the largest green infrastructure to be built in Europe in the next decade”.
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This is just one of the plans made by the city to reduce emissions and fight climate change. Others include more pedestrian zones, bicycle lanes, and restricting private car use in the city centre.
While the idea sounds great, it’ll take quite a few years before it’s ready and working. Estimates suggest the 600 hectares of land could take 10 years to complete.
The Spanish capital is already home to two large parks – El Retiro and Casa de Campo – and offers 22.83m2 of green space per inhabitant. But Madrid has also been plagued by poor air quality for years due primarily to its high levels of traffic.
Image credit: Tom Tom / Shutterstock
