City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/26931
that funding for the protection, enhancement, and main- tenance of urban forests is scarce. Highlighting the role of urban forests in climate change mitigation is a great way to justify existing expenditures and even secure additional funding. Climate Change: The Facts While some people are skeptical about the anthro- pogenic origins of recent warming trends, there is overwhelming data that greenhouse gas emissions, global temperatures, and sea levels are rising at accelerated rates. The U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) reported in 2009 that there has been a 25 percent increase in the release of green- house gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) into the atmosphere over the last 100 years. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration State of the Climate Report from 2008, the global surface temperature has risen 1.4° F over the same time period—and the 10 warmest years over that period of time have occurred since 1996. The CCSP also reports that sea levels have risen globally at increasing rates and models suggest that sea level rise will accelerate in the next century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported in 2007 that greenhouse gas concentra- tions, global temperature, and sea levels are rising at comparable rates. While academics agree that it will take global partici- pation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and miti- gate their potential effects on the climate, it is often easier for people to act effectively and efficiently on a local level. Developing a Climate Change Action Plan I recently had the privilege of taking part in the devel- opment of the Broward County Climate Change Action Plan. Broward County, Florida is likely to experience the effects of climate change more quickly than many coun- ties within the United States due to its low elevation, dense coastal development, history of hurricane and tropical storm involvement, and limited supply of fresh drinking water. The first step in developing a Climate Change Action Plan is to decide who will prepare the plan and how stakeholder input will be acquired and incorporated. In some cases, a municipality writes the plan, holding a few public meetings to solicit input from the community. In other cases, the public is engaged at a deeper level by creating a task force from within the community to develop recommendations for the plan in partnership with the municipality. www.urban-forestry.com The author collects data for an urban forest canopy study. Photo by Michael McCoy 25