Article written by: Danica Backes Jedrzejek
In a rapidly urbanizing world full of various species migrating to adapt, studying the interactions between organisms and their urban environments is as important as ever. Increased global temperatures and air pollution in major cities disrupts the wildlife that used to thrive there. Worsened air quality in these concrete jungles makes an environment more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. But there are promising solutions, ways that we can change cities from environmental nightmares to environmentally-friendly solutions, keeping wildlife thriving and reducing environmental harm.
Green Roofs
Wild fauna struggle to survive when they are robbed of the lush greenery they call home. Green roofs pose a potential solution. A city doesn’t mean there can’t be any vegetation in that corner of the world. It just means to think bigger…or…higher. A green roof is the idea of planting vegetation on the roof of a building to make use of the space, with potential additional layers like irrigation and drainage systems, or root barriers. In addition to adding an aesthetic element, green roofs have countless environmental benefits. They manage water pollution and runoff and give organisms a quality habitat amidst the urban sprawl.
The easiest benefit to think of that is associated with a green roof is carbon sequestration. Adding plants means more photosynthesis and therefore less carbon in the atmosphere. But there are plenty of other pros that make scientists question why every building doesn’t have a green roof on it! It offers a place for the deposition of particulates. Consequently, air pollutants are mitigated. And when it comes to benefiting organisms other than just animals, green roofs don’t stop there. They offer benefits to humans, which include reduced urban noise, health benefits from the decreased air pollution, and more comfortable indoor temperatures, sometimes experiencing a cooling effect up to 15 degrees Celsius, especially beneficial in a world currently experiencing global warming. This, in turn, helps save money and energy that would otherwise be spent on air conditioning.
Transportation
Granted, public transportation is an efficient way of transporting millions of passengers every day to places they need to go in major cities. Underground train systems like in San Francisco allow for taxis to not occupy all the roads and make everyone’s commute a fraction of the time by lessening traffic. Trains are a low-carbon method of traveling in comparison to many other options, but low-carbon isn’t enough. The ultimate goal is to make the number of carbon dioxide emissions as close to zero as possible. This can be achieved with more walkable cities or simply the creation of more bike lanes. Cities are densely packed. Sometimes, in a busy city on a busy day, Google Maps recommends walking over driving. It would simply take less time. That’s how close many destinations are in cities. Promoting this type of commute with bicycle lanes can drastically reduce emissions.
Renewable Energy
We talk a lot about how to adapt to the effects of climate change, making do with what we have left. But let’s remember, it’s not too late. If we put our focus into mitigation of climate change instead of adaptation, we can implement regenerative practices, even better than sustainable ones because we are not only stopping global warming, but reversing it. Green cities use fuel from clear energy, like solar farms. Let’s back up. 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions can be traced back to major cities. Instead of extracting natural gas from the ground or mining for coal for energy, we can harness power from the sun or the wind, protecting Earth’s natural resources by choosing renewable options. Renewable means replenishable within a lifetime. There is a finite amount of oil or coal out there, and burning it emits tons of harmful greenhouse gasses which trap heat in the atmosphere. Solar farms, on the other hand, are clean.
Cities are one of the biggest contributors to global warming, but also have the potential to be one of the most effective solutions, if built with a cleaner world in mind. Cities make things happen. They offer jobs and hold most of the world’s population and economic activities. They are hubs of innovation, where progress is made, so let’s use them to facilitate positive change.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032123001624