Gloucester City Council Unveils Ambitious Plan to Address Climate Change through Urban Greening Strategy

The Gloucester Urban Greening Strategy aims to boost the amount of greenery in the city to mitigate the effects of global warming, extreme weather, and climate change. The plan, set to be approved by city councillors, seeks to harness the natural benefits of trees, green roofs, hedgerows, and green screens to help combat climate change. The strategy also proposes to phase out glyphosate, a weedkiller that can harm insect populations, biodiversity, and human health.

Key Takeaways:

• The Gloucester Urban Greening Strategy will explore ways to increase greenery in the city, including planting trees, green roofs, hedgerows, and green screens.
• The plan aims to combat climate change by reducing the local intensity and duration of heatwaves, filtering harmful emissions from vehicles, and collecting excess surface water through rainwater gardens.
• The council will phase out glyphosate, a weedkiller that can harm insect populations, biodiversity, and human health, and replace it with manual weed removal machines and other environmentally friendly solutions.
• The plan builds on the council's Climate Change Strategy, which supports the council's efforts to reach net zero emissions across its own functions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality throughout the district by 2045.
• The Gloucester Urban Greening Strategy will commit the council to a number of actions over the next year, including developing a street tree plan, planning areas for rainwater and community gardens, and working with residents to reduce flooding and improve biodiversity.
• Conservative group leader Stephanie Chambers has expressed concern that the strategy needs to lead to real, visible change, while Labour Group Leader Terry Pullen has called for urgent action to address climate change.
• Community Independent group leader Alastair Chambers has criticized the continued use of glyphosate, citing concerns about its impact on residents, wildlife, and biodiversity.

Sources:

• Gloucester City Council
• Somerset Live: " plans to increase greenery in the city"
• Gloucestershire Live: "Council to phase out glyphosate amid plans to increase greenery"

Statistics:

• 153 acres of meadows and naturalised spaces have been planted across the city and neighboring districts.
• The council aims to reach net zero emissions across its own functions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality throughout the district by 2045.
• 30 countries have banned or heavily restricted the use of glyphosate.
• The council plans to develop a street tree plan for Gloucester, focusing on areas with high levels of deprivation and fewest trees.