🌅 Today’s stat: 126,390

SOURCE

City of Paris

WHAT TO KNOW

• Paris committed to planting 170,000 trees between 2020 and 2026 under its ambitious “tree plan” adopted in 2021, reaching roughly three-quarters of that goal with more than a year left to go. The city has also announced plans to replace 60,000 parking spaces with trees by 2030.

WHY IT MATTERS

• The new trees are part of the city’s broader plan to add more than 740 acres of green space by 2030, aiming to have 10% of that goal installed by the end of next year. The city has also adopted several other climate-friendly initiatives in recent years, including measures to replace streets with green spaces and install an urban forest.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• All of the above-mentioned measures are part of a green transition the city embarked on some two decades ago that now appears to be paying off: fine particulate matter in the air is down 55% since 2005, while nitrogen levels have fallen by 50%. Beyond improved air quality, other research shows restoring urban biodiversity and adding more green spaces is also associated with better mental well-being and improved pediatric health.