Climate Change

Biography

Biography: Gualtiero Valeri

Abstract

In the overall framework of the causes and problems related to climate change, which proceeds partly for natural causes, partly by human action, an important factor, mentioned by the author in the past, is connected to the change of state of soils and to land use in a great part of the world.

Currently, we have the problem of vast suburban areas with pollued soils by past industrial activities, now abandoned. The extension of these areas is often remarkable.

By means of some arboreous species is possible breaking down, significantly, the atmospheric pollution, and simultaneously remove the pollution from soils.

The possibility of forest reuse of these areas, especially trying to connect them for creating a series of wooded zones around the cities, would lead to a significant number of advantages:

1. reducing air pollutants coming from the city itself, with partial removal of greenhouse gases and improve of air quality, even with the reduction of cancer, respiratory and heart disease;
2. soil decontamination, for phytoextraction of inorganic and hidrocarbon contaminants and destruction of organic pollutants by microbiological activity;
3. improvement of the climate, especially in warm weather;
4. reduction of noise coming from traffic roads and railway lines;
5. creation of green spaces with recovery of the liveability of cities themselves.

Currently 54% of the world's population is urban; alone in Europe (73% urban population) the recoverable areas may be about 30'000'000 ha. Given that an important part of atmospheric contamination and greenhouse gases come from urban areas, they would be intercepted at the origin with the described interventions.

Compared to other cases of intervention for recovery of soils, forestry and agriculture, these would be implemented in less time, less investment and immediately perceptible benefits, being areas where already exists consciousness of urgent need of requalification and urban replanning.