LI Webinar: Urban reforestation as effective climate change mitigation, presented by GreenBlue Urban

​COP 26 raised the bar regarding the sustainability of our planet. We cannot expect the changes that we are already experiencing in our climate to go away, neither our hotter drier summers nor our increasingly intense rainfall events. The recent CPD session from us here at GreenBlue Urban showed clearly that it is possible to insert green infrastructure into the most constrained urban environments, that will benefit all of us. The wide-ranging presentation covered urban tree planting, sustainable drainage systems and green wall planting specifically designed to not only help adapt to climate change but to create safer, cleaner and healthier towns and cities for future generations. Species choice, best practice planting methods and incorporation of sustainable drainage systems open new possibilities that will enhance our towns and cities, make them resilient and future proof and simply more pleasant. For 30 years GreenBlue have been innovating, through focussed research and development, solutions that integrate green infrastructure within our engineered cities, enabling trees to achieve species potential longevity; maximising long term value in the most cost-effective way. The “levelling up” agenda has also brought green space inequalities to light, indicating that some of the most deprived members of society have the least access to green infrastructure, and this is a concern, but one that can be fixed with flexible thinking and planning. Urban bio-diversity was also covered in this CPD – a matter of concern to many local authorities who desire to re-wild our towns, bringing in flora and fauna that may have flourished in the past, but have been reduced by removal of natural habitat. As was mentioned in the CPD, as we look after nature, we look after ourselves.