Massive tree felling for Tesla megafactory near Berlin. PHOTO: Michael Sohn / AP / Profimedia
Hundreds of thousands of additional trees will be planted in Berlin in the next 15 years after the Government of this German state adopted on Monday, with a large majority, a law on adaptation to climate change, informs DPA, quoted by Agerpres.
Only representatives of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party voted against the legislative project, which was based on a citizens' initiative.
Berlin authorities want to ensure with this law that the German city will have 1 million trees by 2040, more than twice as many as it currently has.
A number of additional measures are also planned, such as the establishment of more green spaces and better use of rainwater, with a total cost of 3.2 billion euros.
Opposition parliamentarian Benedikt Lux, from the Green Party, urged the Berlin state government to implement the new law very quickly.
“You don't have to be a botanist to know that this law alone will not make trees grow,” he declared.
Citizens' initiative BaumEntscheid considers the new law to be an important step in the strategy to make Berlin a greener city and therefore more resilient to global warming.
Its spokesman, Heinrich Strossenreuther, said that the implementation of the law must begin very quickly after the decision of the Parliament in Berlin. “Time is an important factor in adapting to climate change,” he added.
