THE United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been pushing for greening urban spaces as the world population continues to boom and urban population is bursting on the seams.
At present, the FAO reported, more than 50 percent of the world's population lives in urban areas and it is expected to grow to 66 percent by 2050.
The shift mainly means, there will be less producers of food and food-producing areas, and less greens that clean the air for us.
With urbanization of what used to be suburbs comes increased pollution, poverty, and extreme climate brought about by climate change. Thus, the need for urban trees and forests, that is seen to mitigate some negative impacts of urbanization.
It thus lists several benefits of urban trees, including: "Trees can contribute to the increase of local food and nutrition security, providing food like fruits, nuts, and leaves for both human consumption and fodder. Their wood, in turn, can be used for cooking and heating.
"Trees play an important role in increasing urban biodiversity, providing plants and animals with a favorable habitat, food and protection.
"A mature tree can absorb up to 150 kg of CO2 per year. As a result, trees play an important role in climate change mitigation. Especially in cities with high levels of pollution, trees can improve air quality, making cities healthier places to live in.
"Strategic placement of trees in cities can help to cool the air between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, thus reducing the urban ‘heat island’ effect, and helping urban communities to adapt to the effects of climate change.
"Large trees are excellent filters for urban pollutants and fine particulates. They absorb pollutant gases (such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone and sulfur oxides) and filter fine particulates such as dust, dirt or smoke out of the air by trapping them on leaves and bark."
There were several other benefits, but that will do for this discussion.
When what used to be the PTA Grounds was converted to what is now the People's Park in 2006, the design was based on one component: for the park to serve as the "lungs" of the city, the green, the carbon sink.
We know, however, that People's Park, which is just four hectares big, is too small to rejuvenate the whole urban sprawl of the city. New York City with 789 square kilometers or 78,900 hectares of urban sprawl has its Central Park, which is 3.41 square kilometers or 341 hectares.
We are getting a sneak preview of how much worse vehicular traffic can be as the Christmas traffic is mashed up with the worsening regular traffic, pollution can worsen, and fast, and urbanization is keeping stride with the worsening traffic.
The air we are still proud of today can easily become bad, just as traffic turned for the worse in just a few months. Davao City officials have to take note. It's not just the traffic that is the problem.