The Editor,
A letter to Mayor Richard Stewart and council, City of Coquitlam, re: Saving trees and the environment—Future development on Ozada Avenue, and devastation at Pinetree Way and Glen Drive.
I am pleased that you are going ahead with the affordable housing on Ozada Avenue and hope you will consider climate change in the design by saving at least a few trees for shade and carbon removal.
Three weeks ago, we witnessed 78 trees and all the undercover being removed from the new tower site at Pinetree Way and Glen Drive — many were mature trees that helped clean the air and reduce temperatures in the downtown.
For climate activists, this was a tragedy.
Each mature tree was absorbing approximately 22 kilos of carbon from the atmosphere.
The 78 trees absorbed close to two tons of carbon per year and would have, in their lifetime, sequestered thousands of tons of carbon.
As you likely know, the cause of our extreme weather that we witnessed in 2021 was the alarming increase in CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere, possibly pushing us to the tipping point by 2050 if no action is taken.
Unfortunately, we are not transitioning fast enough away from fossil fuels.
I don’t know how many vehicles there are in our city but each fossil-fuelled car emits 4,600 kilos of CO2 a year.
We need to leave fossil fuels, methane and trees in the ground to regain a healthy balance for the planet, and for the safety and health of your citizens.
Affordable housing is needed; you also must take climate change seriously.
The small trees that you propose planting will take at least seven years to absorb any significant amount of CO2.
Keep your commitment to pay attention to climate change.
- Yvonne Harris, Coquitlam
