Queensland University (UQ) researchers are calling for more trees to be planted in some shade-deprived Brisbane suburbs.
The UQ study counted trees in three Brisbane suburbs of varying average income levels — from low (Deagon), to middle (Riverhills) and higher-income (Parkinson).
Senior lecturer in Urban Planning at UQ’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Dorina Pojani said that like many other low-income suburbs globally, Deagon was being forced to swelter through rising temperatures and more frequent heatwaves.
“We found that Deagon has approximately 77 street trees per kilometre, 46 per cent less than Riverhills, which has 113 street trees per kilometre,” Dr Pojani said.
“Parkinson was found to have 87 street trees per kilometre, 12 per cent less than Riverhills.”
She said Deagon’s lack of trees compared to the other two suburbs was a significant inequity and, if left unaddressed, it had the potential to become a wider environmental justice issue.
“We’re standing on the edge of a situation where low-income suburbs bear the physical and financial brunt of climate-driven temperature increases, and lives are at risk,” Dr Pojani said
“Trees not only protect people from the harshness of the sun outdoors, they can also reduce the need for air conditioning.”
Environmental Science and Urban Planning graduate at UQ, Sean Patton, whose honours thesis formed the basis of the research, said more money needed to be spent on planting trees in suburbs like Deagon.
“The Brisbane City Council’s tree-planting budget for 2020 was $19.7 million, but it’s worth investing more so residents have better access to sun protection, especially in a city where Local Government encourages active transport,” Mr Patton said.
“The benefits from trees increase as they grow older, so the sooner we get started planting more street trees across these at-risk suburbs, the better.”
