Director-General Qu Dongyu of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced the Great Green Wall for Cities initiative that aims to support nature-based solutions to climate change. The Director-General made the announcement on the eve of the Climate Action Summit in New York last September 21-23.
Qu outlined how the Great Green Wall for Cities builds on the progress made under the Great Green Wall of Africa and the Sahel project and would see the creation of urban green areas that are integrated into wider landscape restoration activities. FAO, together with partners, is aiming to support at least three cities in each of 30 countries in Africa and Asia, Dr. Qu said at the Climate Action Summit’s Nature-Based Solutions for Cities side event.
By 2030, the bold action will have helped cities create up to 500,000 hectares of new urban forests and restore or maintain up to 300,000 hectares of existing natural forests in and around cities in the Sahel (Africa) and Central Asia. Once completed, the Wall would capture 0.5-5 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. The enhanced green infrastructure will reduce the costs of preventing and addressing the impacts of climate change and improve the well-being of citizens, the Director-General said.
If well managed, urban forests and trees can reduce air temperature by up to 8 degrees Celsius, reduce the costs of air conditioning by up to 40%, reduce stormwater flows and improve air quality by filtering dust and pollutants.
