Madrid Is Launching a Vast Urban Forest Project
The city of Madrid will soon be sheltered by a vast urban forest more than 70 km long. The large-scale project aims to reduce CO2 emissions, restore degraded areas, cool the city, and improve air quality.
An urban forest to fight global warming. This is the ambition of the “Bosque Metropolitano,” a future ‘green infrastructure‘ zone composed of more than 450,000 trees that will be spread over an area of 75 km in the city of Madrid. This vast forest will be composed of trees and plants from native species of the region including beech, black pine, and olive trees, thyme, and rosemary.
This project has several objectives: to protect the health of Madrid’s citizens by improving air quality and reducing heat islands, to absorb the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the city, and to connect the forest areas surrounding the Spanish capital.
The Madrid City Council, which is carrying out the project, makes it clear that the aim is to create an infrastructure that will last over time and is “much larger” than a park. The initiative is part of a desire to “green” the city, for example by promoting the use of bicycles or investing in clean energy sources.
Vocabulary:
sheltered – protected from harmful things like bad weather, danger, or pollution, “The small garden is sheltered from the strong city winds by a tall brick wall.”
vast – extremely big, large, or wide in size, space, or amount, “The Sahara is a vast desert that stretches across North Africa.”
urban – relating to, or belonging to a city or a town rather than the countryside, “Public buses and trains are essential parts of modern urban life.”
large-scale – involving a very big number of people, a massive amount of effort, or a wide geographic area, “The government launched a large-scale project to build new hospitals across the country.”
emissions – gases, heat, or pollutants that are sent out into the air from engines, factories, or waste, “Electric cars help significantly reduce harmful carbon emissions in crowded cities.”
restore – to return something to its original, healthy, clean, or good condition, “The city volunteers are trying to restore the beautiful old historical park.”
degraded – damaged, spoiled, or brought to a much lower, poorer quality, “The soil became degraded after years of heavy farming without any breaks.”
global warming – the gradual increase in the earth’s overall temperature caused by pollutants and greenhouse gases, “Planting more trees is a practical and natural way to fight global warming.”
ambition – a strong desire, plan, or goal to achieve something great, difficult, or highly successful, “Her main ambition is to become a professional environmental scientist one day.”
infrastructure – the basic systems and structures that a city or country needs to work properly, such as roads, railways, water pipes, and power grids, “The city is investing millions of dollars to improve its public transport infrastructure.”
composed of – made up of, or formed from a specific number of parts, items, or people, “The international music band is composed of a singer, a guitarist, and a drummer.”
native species – types of plants or animals that naturally belong to, originate, and grow in a specific region, rather than being brought from somewhere else, “The kangaroo is a native species of Australia.”
objectives – specific goals, aims, or results that a person or organization plans and tries hard to achieve, “One of our main business objectives is to open a new office this year.”
citizens – the people who live legally and permanently in a specific city, town, or country, “The mayor asked all citizens to save water during the hot summer months.”
heat islands – urban areas that are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas due to human activity, concrete, roads, and buildings trapping heat, “Planting trees on rooftops helps cool down city heat islands during July and August.”
absorb – to take in, soak up, or hold a liquid, gas, heat, or energy, “A dry sponge will quickly absorb all the water spilled on the kitchen table.”
greenhouse gas – gases (like carbon dioxide) that trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere and cause global warming, “Factories must follow strict environmental rules to limit their greenhouse gas production.”
generated – produced, created, or caused to exist, “The local wind turbines generated enough electricity to power the entire nearby village.”
carrying out – (phrasal verb) doing, performing, or completing a specific task, project, experiment, or order, “The medical team is carrying out multiple tests to find a cure for the illness.”
last – (verb context) to continue existing, working, or remaining in good condition over a long period of time, “These high-quality leather boots will last for many years if you take care of them.”
initiative – a new plan, strategy, or official action started by a group to solve a problem or achieve a specific goal, “The local school started a recycling initiative to collect plastic bottles.”
promoting – encouraging people to like, buy, use, support, or do a specific thing, “The health department is actively promoting regular daily exercise for adults.”
investing in – (phrasal verb) putting money, time, or effort into something to make it successful or gain a future benefit, “More electronic companies are investing in solar energy to save money on power bills.”