A scheme to develop urban forests is coming, with the goal of allowing people to walk under seamless shade from MRT stations to their workplace, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said yesterday.
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a weekend market at Taipei’s Daan Forest Park (大安森林公園) in collaboration with the Taipei City Government and the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation to promote environmental sustainability ahead of World Earth Day.
During the event, Peng said temperatures could rise by 4°C by 2100, and the tree-planting scheme would prepare for the warmer future.
Photo: Screen grab from the Minister of Environment’s Web site
President William Lai (賴清德) has asked the ministry to take measures to increase urban green space from the perspective of climate change, given rising global temperatures, he said.
While the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency has done an excellent job in forest conservation, the ministry would focus on developing urban forests and deepening people’s ties with trees, Peng said.
Tree shade could lower temperatures, reduce air conditioning use and improve air quality, but urban management has prioritized human activities and infrastructure over trees, he said.
The ministry plans to create more tree shade to fully shelter people while they walk from MRT stations to offices, Peng said.
The trees would require at least a decade to grow tall enough to provide shade, he said, adding that the ministry is planning the scheme through interagency collaboration.
The ministry would cooperate with the Central Weather Administration to establish a mechanism of street tree fall forecasting in advance, which authorities could use to conduct tree maintenance, he added.
Fallen trees contain a lot of carbon captured from the air, he said, adding that repurposing fallen trees as bioenergy or for use in a circular economy would be more beneficial than incinerating them.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Chang Wen-te (張溫德) said the city government has formulated a plan to increase roadside trees across the city’s Wanhua (萬華), Shilin (士林) and Neihu (內湖) districts, as well as the East District shopping area.
Expected temperatures under tree shade could be 2°C to 4°C less than in areas without tree cover, Chang added.
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