Parks, yards, street plantings and urban forests play a significant but still underused role in mitigating climate change. Beyond storing carbon, they cool cities, manage stormwater, increase biodiversity and support people's wellbeing.
Over the course of the multi-year CO-CARBON project, researchers have examined the climate benefits of urban greenery and developed solutions for using it more effectively. Published on 20 May,
"It's great that research-based knowledge on the carbon sequestration and cooling effects of urban greenery can be put to concrete use for climate and nature goals," says
Carbon-wise choices span city planning and home gardens
The handbook's key message is that being carbon-wise is not just a matter of strategy – it plays out just as much in urban planning as it does in individual yards. Cities' carbon-neutrality goals require not only emission cuts but also stronger carbon sinks, and investing in urban greenery is a key means to that end, as well as an investment in a more pleasant living environment.
The handbook presents ways to make more effective use of urban greenery's potential as a cost-efficient, multi-benefit climate solution, and also covers methods for assessing carbon-wise practices.
The handbook was produced as part of the