7,000 trees will be planted in London to improve air quality

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has announced that in order to help reduce air pollution and carbon dioxide (CO2), thousands of trees will be planted across 20 boroughs in London. 

London has secured over £2m of funding from the Forestry Commission, and Sadiq Khan has then matched this with over £1m from the Mayor’s Greener City Fund along with £1m from participating boroughs. 

Thanks to this funding, nearly 3,000 trees will be planted in London before March 2020, and a following 4,000 will be planted next winter. 

All of London’s 8 million trees are estimated to provide at least £133m worth of benefits to Londoners each year by removing an estimated 2,241 tonnes of air pollution.

Planting new trees will also provide many environmental benefits by helping to reduce flood risk, absorbing CO2 and providing a habitat for wildlife. 

In connection with this project, Sadiq Khan has also awarded £1.1m to 54 community projects in order to improve and create green spaces across the city. 

The community projects, which will all be delivered this year and will work to install new community gardens, make school playgrounds green, and clean London’s canals and rivers. 

Sadiq Khan said: ‘‘I’m doing everything in my power to make London zero-carbon and one of the greenest, most sustainable cities in the world.

‘Simple steps like planting trees helps us address the climate and ecological crisis.

‘These additional street trees and improvements to green spaces are targeted in areas where they’re most needed.

‘As the world’s first National Park City we will continue our bold action to preserve and increase tree coverage across London.’

Barbara Milne, chair of the London Tree Officers Association, said: ‘This joint funding arrangement helps to make the most of resources for tree planting in London, and will support local authorities with limited budgets to meet aspirations for more tree planting in our capital.’

Photo Credit – Pixabay