A COMMUNITY association which has pledged to plant one million trees in Belfast has been named by Friends of the Earth as a frontline fighter for trees in the UK.
The Belfast Metropolitan Residents Group (BMRG), an umbrella for community associations within the city, aims to plant the trees over the next 15 years.
The Million Trees proposal has been embraced by planting organisations, landowners and a majority of the parties on Belfast City Council.
Spokesman Peter Carr said: "More trees should, at the very least, make Belfast a happier, healthier, more beautiful city that works better for its people and wildlife.
"However, because of Belfast’s scale and the number of trees envisaged, there is also the potential here to turn the city into a Gaia-like organism which is capable of eating up a major part of its own pollution.
"...We very much hope that the full council will back the proposal when it considers it in the autumn."
Emi Murphy of Friends of the Earth said Northern Ireland is currently one of the least wooded parts of Europe.
“Trees do an amazing job of removing climate-wrecking carbon from the atmosphere which is why we need to double tree cover to help the fight against climate chaos.
“Having more trees will also protect local communities from the climate breakdown that we’re already seeing across the UK; from heatwaves to flooding. Government targets for tree planting are nowhere near what we need."
