What is happening in Plymouth is dangerous for our health!
The latest study from the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that major climate changes are now unavoidable and the focus must be on adapting life to survive the most devastating changes.
Climate change is a fact and it is also a fact that it is about four degrees centigrade cooler in the shade of a tree in an urban park than it is in the shade of a building on a paved city footpath. On a hot day our urban green spaces provide a natural air-conditioned environment for those whose bodies cannot support excessive heat. One way of adapting to a changing climate is to protect and maintain our urban green spaces. Nibbling away at our parks and sports grounds is therefore, quite frankly, dangerous for our health and for the health of future generations in Plymouth.
Our urban green spaces are not just pretty, they are essential for our health and our quality of life now and in the future.
University researchers have found that it is, on average, 4.4 degrees centigrade cooler in the early afternoon in August under a tree in a park than it is in the shade of a building in the city.
For some people this 4-degree difference can represent the difference between life and death. Remember >14,802 people died as a direct result of the heat-wave in France in 2003 and we can expect similar heat waves in Plymouth within the next 20 years.
We need to plan wisely for the future and do something now to protect our parks and sports grounds from gradual erosion.
Please go to:
and sign the petition. A signature costs nothing but can help to make Plymouth (and the whole of Europe!) a better place to live.
Blog written by Colette
