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Katrina Amrhein

Ms. Layson

English 11B

22 April 2021

Green is good!

Earth is suffering as the climate rises. We have little time to help our Earth and the list of

solutions is shortening but green cities may be at the top of that list. Green cities should be

implemented across the globe to provide a symbiotic relationship between humans and the

Earth, improve everyday conditions, slow global warming, and improve our health with more

activity and time in natural green space.

As the Earth gradually warms and humans begin to look for ways to prevent the

possibility of an uninhabitable world, green cities were created. Green, sustainable, and

eco-cities are cities where principles have been put in place to preserve the environment and

emit minimal greenhouse gases, and use as few natural resources as possible (Green). Green

cities began as a solution to population growth and urbanization in the hope to find a way for

everyday life to continue while not hurting the Earth (Green). When many people picture green

cities they see a futuristic ideal that will never be within reach or sustain our needs but green

cities are already among us. Cities like Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Vancouver have put

numerous laws in place to make them among the most sustainable cities in the world.

Cars allow for convenience within an individual’s life, getting you where you want to go

quickly and efficiently. Cities recognize this and want to provide convenience while also

providing a safe and sustainable mass transit alternative making individual transportation less

necessary. Living in a city, by definition, combines where you live, work, shop, and socialize into

a smaller, often walkable space. So - do you need to drive? Bike paths, electric trains, and

busses are just a few eco-friendly ways you would be able to get to work. By having fewer
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vehicles on the road there would be faster travel times due to less congestion and emissions

from traffic would decrease significantly (CNN Wire).

It takes a lot of energy to power a city. Currently, much of that energy comes from fossil

fuels which are also the cause of over 75% of greenhouse gasses (Green). For green cities, in

their look to provide eco-friendly environments, this is the opposite of helpful. Nuclear, wind,

water, and other forms of energy could be the answer to this dilemma. “Nuclear energy

eliminates the production of CO2” (Barnard), a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.

Overall, nuclear energy takes up far less room and provides more energy for its price than solar

and wind but it’s expensive (Barnard). All green energy opportunities will be costly at first but as

they start being integrated into society for longer periods they will become more affordable

(Barnard).

We need trees and grass and flowers to make the oxygen we breathe. They are also

good for our mental well-being. Cities could consider creating programs that reward buildings

with more eco-friendly elements, like green roofs or solar panels. Public gardens are another

great option for creating green space and encouraging community involvement. Public parks

combine trees, grass, flowers, and beaches – and create spaces where people can go to relax,

exercise, and be well. Trees and green spaces do more than look good and create oxygen. In

many cases, having trees and bushes prevents flooding, lowers temperatures, and improves air

quality. Green is good.

Based on articles I read, two primary criticisms of green cities include startup costs and

the potential impact on wildlife. From a cost perspective, cities need to consider things like

transportation upgrades to electric or solar-powered vehicles, sidewalks, and bike routes to

encourage human-powered transportation, and solar panels or wind turbines for power. All of

these come with a cost that translates into increased taxes. The extended impact is on the

community and individuals who may not want to stay or can’t afford to stay with higher taxes.

Secondly, many articles referenced the potential negative impact on wildlife. Green space
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attracts wildlife, which may not be accustomed to people, cars, or more urban areas. Other

articles reference wind turbines and their impact on birds in terms of migration and general flight

patterns. Overall, there is still a lot to learn about the potential negative impacts but in the end

the positives out weight the negatives. Green cities will provide lots of good for the Earth and

allow for us to live here longer. Animal safety features could be designed into these cities to

minimize the potential threat.

Green is the way to go in the long run and by implementing these cities we will slow

global warming and improve our health. The fact is, if we don’t start to make small changes now,

we’ll all be experiencing not-so-great big impacts later with climate change. If we can all focus

on the positive impact that even small changes can have on our cities, and everyone potentially

impacted by these changes, we’ll be in a better spot. If you think about it, there was a lot of

change to get us to where we are – and we didn’t really understand the impact. Now we

understand not only what we’re doing to our natural resources, but what the short and long-term

impact is – AND how to make changes to make things better. Starting to increase the number

of “Green Cities” across the United States is a good step in the right direction.
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Works Cited

"As flooding frequency increases, more US cities opt for green infrastructure." Christian Science

Monitor, 30 Mar. 2018. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A532849049/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=c556082

1. Accessed 25 Mar. 2021.

Barnard, Christopher. "If Climate Change Is a Dire Threat, Why Is No One Talking About

Nuclear

Power?" Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/KARAQX775535671/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=

ba133e48. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021. Originally published as "If Climate Change Is a Dire

Threat, Why Is No One Talking About Nuclear Power?" Foundation for Economic

Education, 29 Apr. 2019

"Green Cities." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999082/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=3202

d5f9. Accessed 25 Mar. 2021.

"Green cities: Why invest in sustainable cities?" CNN Wire, 1 Dec. 2016. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A472311460/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=288393a

d. Accessed 15 Apr. 2021.

"How the Nordic countries outsmarted us again." CNN Wire, 5 June 2018. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A541428978/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=c3af6adf

. Accessed 25 Mar. 2021.