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European research finds that increasing urban tree coverage to 30% can lower temperatures by 0.4C
Planting more trees could mean fewer people die from increasingly high summer temperatures in cities, a study suggests. Increasing the level of tree cover from the European average of 14.9% to 30% can lower the temperature in cities by 0.4C, which could reduce heat-related deaths by 39.5%, according to first-of-its-kind modelling of 93 European cities by an international team of researchers. The lead author, Tamara Iungman, from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, said: “This is becoming increasingly urgent as Europe experiences more extreme temperature fluctuations caused by climate change. “We already know that high temperatures in urban environments are associated with negative health outcomes, such as cardiorespiratory failure, hospital admission, and premature death.” Her team wants to influence policymakers to make cities greener, “more sustainable, resilient and healthy” as well as mitigating climate breakdown, she added, since heat-related illness and death are expected to present an even bigger burden to health services over the next decade than cold temperatures. The researchers used mortality data to estimate the potential reduction in deaths from lower temperatures as a result of increased tree coverage. Using data from 2015 they estimated that out of the 6,700 premature deaths that year attributed to higher urban temperatures, 2,644 could have been prevented had tree cover been increased. Planting more trees in cities should be prioritised because it brings a huge range of health benefits beyond reducing heat-related deaths, he added, including reducing cardiovascular disease, dementia and poor mental health. Trees help tackle the urban heat island effect in which temperatures in cities surpass those in nearby rural areas because many urban surfaces absorb and retain heat. In some places the difference between cities and rural areas can be more than 4C.
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More than 40 volunteers from the Wimborne Community enjoyed the sunshine last weekend and helped pick up the biggest amount of litter we have ever collected in 2 hours on one of our picks! It was shocking to see and we could have easily spent the whole day clearing rubbish along verges, underneath bushes, on streets, paths and the river banks! The worst offenders were cigarette butts - we lost count of those in town, especially outside pubs, bus stops, and other venues where people gather then drop their butts as they rush in! Plastic cable ties, dog poo bags and general single use items such as bottles, takeaway food containers and coffee cups were also abundant!
While we really do enjoy getting together to do something positive for the planet, our group of litter pickers has asked WWoW to ask you, the good folk of Wimborne, to do your bit too! Can you put a cigarette bin/ash tray outside your business for your customers to use? Can you use string instead of plastic cable ties to put up your posters/banners or sign boards instead? Can you do a 2-minute litter pick in your break outside your house or business? The more we keep our place clean and free from litter the easier it becomes to imagine a litter free Wimborne! We enjoy running regular litter picks - and welcome everyone to join us! We also lend out litter picking equipment if anyone wishes to do their own! For more information and to add your name to our email group please contact us at: [email protected] The date for the next one is 26 March 11-1pm. Sadly, after 40 years pioneering and championing the cause of trade justice, Traidcraft PLC has gone into administration and is no longer trading. We would like to thank all of our customers and Fairtraders for your support and for partnering with us in our mission to combat trade poverty. We are working hard to rescue at least some parts of the business so please do check back here, or on our Traidcraft Fairtraders Facebook group regularly for news. Transform Trade is a completely separate organisation and is not affected by our closure.
Traidcraft was set up as a faith organisation in August 1979. It was launched from the top floor of a 1920s warehouse (India House, Carliol Square) in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne by Richard Adams with six members of staff. Its first catalogue was hand-drawn featuring a small selection of jute products from Bangladesh. Within two years tea, coffee and subsequently a wide range of other foods were introduced.[7] Traidcraft plc was the trading arm of the organisation. The products are sourced from producers in over 30 developing countries including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines, Kenya, Malawi, Chile and Cuba. Products include coffee, tea, fruit juice, sugar, wine, clothing, jewellery, paper and craft items. Among their food products is a snack bar called Geobar, Fairtrade chocolate, dried fruit, honey, pasta, rice and muesli. Kingston Lacy is opulent, spectacular and astonishing, and it has fuel bills to match. Heating the mansion uses around 30,000 litres of oil a year, which releases about 80 tonnes of carbon annually. We are installing a 160kW ground source heat pump system to replace the existing oil boilers heating the mansion.
It’s a big project that will have big environmental benefits, cutting emissions to around a quarter of their current levels. But it will help us in our conservation work as well. Using a green energy source means we will be able to heat the mansion at a low temperature for longer periods. This will improve the internal environment and humidity control of the collections, and help us secure this beautiful place for the future. This project has been part funded by Low Carbon Dorset as part of the European Regional Development Fund. Sheep living among rows of solar panels spend more time grazing, benefit from more nutritious food, rest more and appear to experience less heat stress, compared with nearby sheep in empty fields.
Earlier research suggested that agrivoltaic farms – which combine grazing animals with solar panels – offer more efficient renewable energy at lower overhead costs, as well as reducing wildfire risks. There is increasing pressure on UK landscapes to feed, house and power a growing population, to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss and to build a greener, more equal and resilient economy.
Join us at the launch of the Royal Society’s new report, Multifunctional Landscapes, which advises on the use of science to increase the productivity of land and makes recommendations on the data and analytics, innovation, skills and policy mechanisms required to create multifunctional landscapes which raise productivity whilst meeting society’s needs efficiently and sustainably. Make five recommendations:
Have also launched an interactive land use map (https://royalsociety.org/assets/multifunctional_land/index.html) to help people understand the trade offs of different land uses for producing food, whilst also protecting and enhancing the environment and providing leisure facilities.
Our delivery plan for the environment, building a greener, more prosperous country.
Plans to restore nature, improve environmental quality, and increase the prosperity of our country will be set out by the government today (Tuesday 31st January) as it publishes its Environmental Improvement Plan 2023. Building on the vision set out five years ago in the 25 Year Environment Plan, with new powers and duties from the Environment Act, Agriculture Act and Fisheries Act, it provides a comprehensive delivery plan for the government’s approach to halting and then reversing the decline in nature. It covers how government will:
T. Giakoumis et al, Combined sewer overflows: relating event duration monitoring data to wastewater systems' capacity in England, Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology (2023). DOI: 10.1039/D2EW00637E
The recent uptick in sewage overspill events is due to infrastructure not keeping up with demand, according to Imperial College London research. The conclusion suggests other proposals for dealing with the problem—such as preventing blockages and separating rain and foul water—will not be enough to solve the issue of polluting sewage overspills. Sewage is regularly being released into English rivers and seas because about 80% of the country’s wastewater systems seem to be frequently pushed beyond capacity and can’t cope with the size of the population. The UK sewer system combines wastewater from domestic, commercial, and industrial activities and storm water runoff and funnels it to Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTWs). In times of extreme flow however, such as very heavy rainfall, Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) may be used to discharge some of the sewage to natural watercourses before it reaches a WWTW. There are 14,346 CSOs in England and although they have been assessed for their environmental risk, their increasing use, even in dry spells, has led many to question their role in the country's wastewater systems. Raw sewage overspill from CSOs directly into rivers and the sea can pollute the water, especially when not used at times of high rainfall that could dilute the sewage. These overspills can lead to environmental deterioration and present a human health hazard, for example through enteroviruses that cause gut infections, or the proliferation of antibiotic resistance. This has a knock-on effect on tourism and leisure activities like swimming and boating, as well as the consumption of seafood that can accumulate toxins and microplastics. In response to increased use of CSOs, water companies were ordered to release data on the frequency and duration of overspill events for each CSO for the last two years. However, this raw data doesn't explain what the cause of the increase in their use has been. Without understanding the causes of these spills, the problem cannot be tackled with appropriate solutions. In the first analysis of this data, Imperial researchers show that most of the increase is due to WWTWs' lack of capacity to deal with increased flows as populations have risen and industrial activities have scaled up. The team matched the CSO use data with the relevant WWTWs and combined this with data on their treatment capacity. This analysis shows the capacity of many WWTWs is not sufficient, even in the absence of extreme rainfall. This refutes suggestions of reasons for increased CSO use that blame unpredictable weather, with changes in rainfall causing increases in wet weather runoff. The results are published in the journal Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. Lead researcher Professor Nick Voulvoulis, from the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial, said, "Our findings reveal the chronic under-capacity of the English wastewater systems as a fundamental cause behind the increased frequency and duration of CSO spills. We hope this work can help the water industry demonstrate the need for capital investment in infrastructure. It is often taken for granted but investing in infrastructure is critical to our future prosperity." Between 2000 and 2008 just over 1% of the sewers in England and Wales were replaced or rehabilitated. Considering that much of the infrastructure was built with a lifespan of 60-80 years, at that rate of replacement, it would take 800 years for this to happen for all the sewers in England and Wales. Parts of a major programme to improve cycling, walking and bus routes are to be put on hold as the £102million budget can no longer cover the costs of the work.
BCP Council and Dorset Council were awarded £79million from the Department for Transport’s transforming cities fund (TCF) for the south east Dorset region. This was topped up by around £23million from the councils, business groups and transport companies. The investment was due to deliver 78 kilometres of new cycle and walking options and bus improvements across six “sustainable travel routes”. Work has already started on part of all six routes, with various sections at 10 locations complete or under way. However, it has now been confirmed to the Daily Echo the councils have tabled revised plans to the Government department with parts of the original programme deferred until more money can be found. No details have been given on which schemes in the programme will be put on hold as a result of the funding issue. The local authorities said escalating costs of construction materials and labour due to the pandemic, and rising fuel costs and inflation were factors in the finance problem. Changes to the national design standards for cycling infrastructure had also had a “considerable” impact since the funding was awarded in March 2020. A spokesperson for south east Dorset’s transforming cities fund programme said: “These unforeseen financial increases, which are outside of BCP Council and Dorset Council’s control, mean the TCF budget is no longer sufficient to cover the full network of cycle, walking and bus improvements originally planned across the region. “As part of a national TCF review by central government of all 12 city-regions who received TCF funding, we have submitted revised plans proposing the improvements that can continue to be constructed and funded through south east Dorset’s TCF and those that are proposed to be deferred until further funding has been secured. |
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