This document discusses the Green Infrastructure Partnership in Birmingham and their approach to making the city more sustainable and climate resilient. It proposes establishing a Birmingham Tree Bond to fund increased urban forestry efforts, including planting over 1 million trees which could reduce the city's carbon emissions by 60% by 2028. The tree bond would also support the development of Natural Health Improvement Zones and increase the production of biomass for renewable energy. If implemented, the tree bond is estimated to generate millions of pounds per year in energy and carbon savings, income from the Renewable Heat Incentive, and other economic and public health benefits by 2028.

1. Green Infrastructure Partnership
“Metanoia”
• Nick Grayson
• Climate Change &
Sustainability
Manager
• Birmingham City
Council
• October 9th 2012
BIRMINGHAM APPROACH FROM RISK TO ECOSYSTEM CITY MODEL

2. BUCCANEER – Birmingham Urban Climate Change Adaptation
Neighborhood Estimates of Environmental Risk
BIRMINGHAM’S RISK LANGUAGE – CLIMATE CHANGE

3. Green Infrastructure Partnership
Lancet July 2012
BIRMINGHAM’S RISK LANGUAGE – PUBLIC HEALTH

4. Green Infrastructure Partnership
Key Partners
The 9 piece
jigsaw – GIA Climate Risk
Partnership
EVIDENCE Water
Green Infrastructure
POLICY Health & Well Being
Biodiversity
The LEP & Business
DELIVERY Community + Resilience
Planning
Transport & Infrastructure
INTEGRATED POLICY & DELIVERY

5. Principle Output & Policy
Plan for effects of the Urban Heat Island
An Adapted City •Green roofs & walls
•Street Canyons Research
•Trees for cooling & thermal insulation
Develop a Blue Corridor &’Green Streets’ Policy
The City’s Blue
•Enhance and the wider Blue network.
Network •SuDS & flood & water management
•Enhance water quality & riparian habitat
Adopt Natural Health Improvement Zones (NHIZ)
A Healthy City •Introduce sustainable land management principles.
•‘Be Active’ neighbourhoods
•Childhood development
The City’s Endorse the Birmingham Forest & Tree Bond
Productive •Promote allotments
Landscapes •Facilitate community food growing, orchards, and woodlands
•Embed biomass production
Adopt A Walkable City
The City’s •Greenway networks
Greenways •“Quiet Roads”
•Permissive access rights
Develop an Ecosystem City Model
The City’s
•Ecosystem Evaluation of Birmingham’s GI and Trees
Ecosystem •Explore new funding mechanisms & joint partnerships
•Biodiversity mapping
Adopt Integrated Area Plans
The City’s Green
•Protection of natural & built heritage
Living Spaces •Integrate public health concerns
•Sustainable tree planting policy

6. Appendix 2. – Constituency Concept Plans
Green Infrastructure Partnership
Values Issues Solutions
Integrated District Plans
INTEGRATED AREA PLANS – CROSS AGENCY

7. Green Infrastructure Partnership
Alliant Energy, Iowa, USA, since 1989 THE
have planted more than one million trees.
•Their rationale as an energy company? BIRMINGHAM
•“Healthy trees play a major role in extracting
CO2 and reducing carbon emissions from utilities.
TREE
Trees decrease end-use consumption for cooling BOND
and heating.”
Financial make-up The Birmingham Growing Birmingham Forest
The Birmingham Tree Bond will •By introducing additional tree planting, funded from the
comprise:- Tree Bond – will Birmingham Tree Bond, the city could increase its tree
provide an annual population to 500,000 by 2028; a 30% increase;
•1% of the annual fund to support the
Energy re- procurement •Through the Birmingham Tree Bond the city could grow
sum, internationally its Birmingham Forest by 8-10% by 2028;
Approximately £250,000; recognised multiple Birmingham 60% CO2 reduction by 2028.
benefits of urban
•1% of the annual
Community forestry, so supplying Natural Health Improvement Zones
Infrastructure Levy, the mechanism to •The Birmingham Tree Bond would allow the city to pilot
Approximately £200,000; Natural Health Improvement Zones – tackling poor air
deliver the
quality, through increased greening;
•The Birmingham Tree Birmingham Forest.
Bond annual total •Natural Health Improvement Zones would be monitored
£450,000. for their direct benefit on air quality but also of population
health benefits.
•The city will be able to deliver 15 NHIZ’s by 2028.
THE BIRMINGHAM TREE BOND – THE ARGUMENT

8. Green Infrastructure Partnership
Sustainable extraction existing estate = 5,000 tonnes/yr Planting 8,000/yr; yields at 2028 = 18,5000 tonnes/yr
Year One 5,000 tonnes of wood fuel = 17,500,000 Kwh Year 2028 18,500 tonnes of wood fuel = 64,750,000 Kwh
Carbon Savings Carbon Tax Savings Energy Cost Savings
•Year One 3,150 tonnes • Year One £37,800 • Year One £672,000
•Year 2028 11,655 tonnes •Year 2028 £186,480 •Year 2028 £ 3,561,250
Renewable Heat Incentive Year One = £ 1,382,500 Renewable Heat Incentive Year 2028 = £ 5,115,250
Combined Income and Savings Year One = £2,092,300 Combined Income and Savings Year 2028 = £ 8,862,980
THE BIRMINGHAM TREE BOND – THE NUMBERS!

9. Green Infrastructure Partnership
Public Ecosystem City
Sector
Model
Birmingham as National
Pilot:
•Build a new city economy
•Green Bridge Economy Private
Programme Sector
•BCSD-UK & WBCSD-
CEV Tool
•TEEB-Eu
“We will put natural capital at the centre of economic thinking;
and at the heart of the way we measure economic progress.”
NATURAL CAPITAL COMMITTEE