When cities expand, they usually encroach on forested areas and agricultural land, thus “consuming” carbon sinks. This makes it harder for municipalities and countries to reach the net-zero emission targets that are essential to avoid a climate catastrophe.
Recently, a team of researchers from Aalto University in Finland has developed a new metric called the “carbon storage (CS) factor,” which reflects how much carbon can be captured in planned urban developments, and may thus help urban planners keep urban growth in line with emission targets.
New study proves that you really are what you eat
Predicting mountain pine beetle behavior could help save forests
Nature seems to favor the biggest and the smallest forms of life
Can future cities store as much carbon as forests?
Study provides insights into the lives of Neanderthals
Read more…
By comparing the amount of carbon storage capacity lost – for instance, from deforestation – with the CS factor of urban development plans which ue different methods and technologies, planners could make sure that development maintains or even restores a specific region’s natural carbon storage capacity.
“There are many tools available to increase the CS factor. Increasing wooden construction is a good option in some regions, but it’s also possible to store carbon in the soil using biochar and other tools, or to include new fast-growing plants in the landscape, or even through direct carbon capture and storage technologies. We hope planners will adopt this mindset and use the CS factor to help them plan sustainable urban growth,” explained senior author Seppo Junnila, a professor of Real Estate Business at Aalto.
As a case study, the experts used the CS factor to assess how wooden construction in Finland’s capital region could compensate for deforestation from urban growth.
The analysis revealed that, by using the right type of wooden construction technologies, as much as 70 percent of future development could preserve the lot forest’s carbon storage capacity. However, this would require the use of materials that can store substantial amounts of carbon, such as log or cross-laminated timber.
While similar results could be obtained using wooden construction elsewhere in Europe, Asia, or even Oceania, increased wooden construction can be a sustainable method only if forests are sustainably managed.
“Our goal isn’t to encourage cities to expand into new areas but to provide planners with tools to mitigate the impact of development on carbon storage when forest clearing is unavoidable,” Junnila concluded.
The study is published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
Green cities of the future
Green cities of the future will be designed to minimize their environmental impact while promoting the well-being of their inhabitants. These cities will incorporate a wide range of sustainable practices and innovative technologies to address challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, and urban spral.
Key features of green cities of the future may include:
