‘Essential climate infrastructure’ of trees and plants can cool cities

UK cities must be cooled with more trees, grass and plants in the face of growing heatwave danger, the Government has been urged.

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The Woodland Trust, the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are calling for decisive action from ministers and all levels of Government to maximise “green infrastructure” that can help bring down summer temperatures in urban areas.

They argue there needs to be a boost to homegrown production of trees that can support cooling efforts in UK towns and cities, which are facing increasing extreme heat because of human-driven climate change.

The HTA, RHS and Woodland Trust have made their call amid a summer in which the UK has already sweltered in two record-breaking heatwaves, with new all-time high temperatures set for May, of 35.1C, and then again for June, when they reached 37.7C.