- Two years ago, the Baso Biziak platform was created for living forests and with the reptile against monoculture, seeing that the brown band of pinares was crumbling and that forestry policy was not going to be put in another more sustainable direction, the authorities of the sector have just launched an increase in eucalyptus. We look at the forest, at the mountain, but also at the green areas of all of us who have or want to have in urban spaces, because citizens, in general, give most of our life “on the street” than on the mountain. Therefore, we cannot, we do not want to make a differential binomial between the street and the mountain, because our health is increasingly at stake in both, especially in urban spaces.
To all these problems arising from heat waves, drought, fires and the climate emergency of recent years, the arboricides of several municipalities have been added in exchange for wild asphalt, always for the benefit of private interests. See the damage they are or want to do in Pamplona, San Sebastian, Deusto, Zarautz, Astigarraga, Irun and other localities of the peninsula.
We, like so many others, are clear that green areas, whether they be trees, parks, gardens or green rings, are increasingly needed to ensure that outside climate shelters are provided for in extreme situations.
All these green areas carry a long list of benefits for the health of citizens, such as temperature control, noise pollution reduction, air cleaning, water regulation, improved psychological and physical health, economic improvement, increased biodiversity.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), heat waves are one of the most dangerous extreme weather phenomena, leading to increased morbidity and mortality.
There is a lot of research on all this, but we have looked at a study carried out by the Hiritik Harira group, in which the artificial spaces and the green areas that our capitals have are counterbalanced by temperature, and among the conclusions that belong to us, we have opted to increase trees and vegetation, preserve the green areas and maintain the climatic and natural benefits that they generate, strengthening the green infrastructures.
For its part, the scientific publication The Lancet has published a study carried out in 93 European urban areas recommending: If we increased by 30% the green area would decrease the average temperature of the cities by 0.4°C, preventing 40% of deaths from heat waves. In urban areas such as Paris, where 170,000 trees will be planted until 2026, parking lots will be abolished to transform them into green areas by 2030 and 40% of asphalt will be demolished.
In view of all this, little can be added so that the decisions of those in the administration are reasonable, so that private policies and private interests are not placed above the health and survival of all; to do the opposite, that is to say to make arboricides and not to increase green areas would be to promote policies that are contrary to the health of the citizens and their economic capacity.
Please be sensible.