Trees and plants use energy from sunlight, water and nutrients from the roots, and carbon dioxide from the air to create sugar for fuel and make their wood bodies – processes that emit oxygen as a byproduct. In addition to improving our air quality, trees can significantly cool large areas in the summer, by providing shade and evapotranspiration. Trees and plants are also habitats for many Life sustaining and supporting species, such as pollinators, birds, other insects, fungi, other microbes, and many mammals and rodents.
Being surrounded by nature is also scientifically proven to contribute to improved mental health and cognitive function for humans. Broadly
speaking this is known as biophilia.
Read about what typical buildings do here/below.
What Typical Buildings do
Buildings are one of the most significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for about 40% of global CO2 emissions (Source: US DOE EIA). When you attribute industrial and transportation impacts from building products and materials, the total building CO2 emissions number is much higher. In other words, both operational energy uses such as heating, cooling, lighting, water pumping and heating, as well as building materials and construction are usually the biggest contributors to non-local emissions (from power and water plants), and among the most significant contributors to some emissions locally.
Most buildings also exacerbate the urban heat island effect, raising temperatures in densely built environments by storing heat and displacing temperature regulating vegetation.
Buildings can also be a major threat to wildlife, such as birds, second only to cats in terms of bird fatalities, etc. And of course many other species are displaced or otherwise disrupted and killed by our built-environment practices. We submit that none of this is necessary, and much of it can be walked back with innovative practices such as building integrated habitats, rewilding, bird friendly building techniques, and more.