Mayor Joy Belmonte shared how Quezon City confronts the effects of climate change, particularly urban heat island effect, during the C40 Mayoral Roundtable discussion of the World Cities Summit in Singapore.
QC’s climate risk assessment indicates by 2050, there will be an average temperature increase of 2.1 degrees during the months of April and May.
The city’s Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan (ELCCAP) outlines how we can address and mitigate it while considering how it will benefit the QCitizens.
To face the urban heat, the city has launched several initiatives such as planting more indigenous and fruit-bearing trees in hot spots; linking two largest parks of the city; and redeveloping the Quezon Memorial Circle that is expected to decrease the heat index in the park by five to six degrees celsius.
The city government is also doubling the number of parks, which is currently at 328, to expand the green and permeable spaces by 30 to 40 percent by 2030 in line with the city’s commitment to the C40 Urban Nature Accelerator program.
