SOCIAL: PROPOSED POLICY CHANGES/ GROWING FRUIT TREES CITY BEAUTIFICATION

SUBJECT:  GROWING FRUIT TREES CITY BEAUTIFICATION

PURPOSE:  This briefing note is a recommendation for changes in policy pertaining to trees planted in municipal side roads.
ISSUE:  There is not enough encouragement to plan fruit bearing trees on municipal side roads.  

Background:


Plants are a major source of oxygen.  In this new age, people require an increase amount of carbon emissions to be able to accomplish day to day tasks.  Such as but not limited to commuting to work.  One would consume gas for their vehicle to be able to do the commute.  This causes an increased amount of CO2 to be dispersed into the air which then causes green house gas emissions.  Greenhouse gas emissions are a problem as it will cause devastation in the future.  Weather patterns will alter, desertification is going to dry up several cities, acidification will wreak havoc on the ecosystems and illness and disease will be wide spread due to the overheating of the earth.  To combat this, we need to look at the types of plants we should be harvesting.  Climate change is going to create difficulties in the ecosystem which will then affect the food supply chain.  In order to alleviate this, this briefing note suggest that we should harvest fruit bearing plants in our municipal streets as a measure to first avoid green house gas emissions and secondly to ensure that we have a food chain that is sustainable.  These plants will not only assist in these, but perhaps may also beautify the municipal streets.  One such city that already has implemented such policy is Monaco.  This country is the smallest country I  the world and is a very popular tourist destination.  This country allows fruit trees to be grown on the sidewalk such as in La Codamine, various orange trees are grown and maintained.  Monaco also has plenty of lemon trees planted all over the city.  Not only can fruit trees be planted for the reduction of green house gas emission but it can also encourage people to interact in our streets which would evidently reduce crime rates as the streets would be a place where people would constantly observe.  This would also increase territoriality where homeowners would feel that that they belong in their neighborhood and that where they live is their neighborhood.  Having fruit trees and nut trees on our municipal streets could also encourage tourism and travel.


Considerations:


The Paris Agreement is an agreement from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.  This agreement seeks to limit climate change to 2 degrees Celsius.  The agreement aims to foster climate resilience and lower green house gas development as well as to make climate flows consistent with a pathway toward a lower carbon future.  This agreement is very crucial to the cause of reducing emission.  Planting fruit and nut trees on our city sidewalks would not only be sustainable but practical.  As noted earlier in this brief, it would allow citizens to be able to appreciate the beauty of our city which would then increase surveillance on our streets.  It is estimated that the US fruit and vegetable market is to be worth $1,117.3 Bn by 2025.  Having fruits and nut trees grown on sidewalks can implicate this however, by implementing this policy we can say that farmers can have an incentive to grow other crops that are not widely available in our country.  Moreover, by having these fruit and nut trees the municipality would be promoting a healthy lifestyle to combat obesity.  Obeisity is a major problem in the modern era and costs people, namely the tax payer $79 per individual as per the Center for Disease Control.  The main stakeholders for this matter are the citizens, home owners, tourists, potential criminals, government, and the produce vendors and farmers. 


Options:  


Option 1:  Permit fruit trees be planted on all streets


This option is the least feasible and most difficult to achieve.  These plants take many years to fully develop and bear fruit which means planting such trees is an investment for the future of any city.  Although fruit trees would beautify our municipal streets, tree maintenance could increase the cost of the budget.  It would reduce crime but also increase supply which would promote accessibility to food for our citizens.  This option is very sustainable and is in support of climate change policy.  Public acceptability is likely to be high resulting from the sustainability of such option.

Option 2:  Permit fruit trees to be planted only on residential zone sidewalks.

This option is very feasible.  The maintenance of such trees could be delegated to the homeowners which would therefore not cost the budget any additional expenses.  Choosing this option would increase surveillance in our residential zones which would thus prevent crime.  This option would increase food accessibility as well.  Choosing this option will be very sustainable as it is within the agenda of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  Public acceptability is likely to be high resulting from the numerous benefits although issues may arise resulting from trespassing.  


Option 3:  Do not permit either.


This option is not feasible since there are already so e streets that have fruit bearing trees.  Although, selecting this maintains the produce industry.  With this option it becomes certain that the revenue of farmers and vendors won’t be affected.  They will no longer have to consider alternative crop to plant however, foreign crop would still be more pricey as a result.  Public acceptability of such option is likely to be low.  This is not a sustainable option for the environment nor the people.  This option will not affect tourism or crime rates either.  


Option 4:  Status quo.


Maintaining the status quo would result in no change.  Doing nothing is the most feasible option.  However, it is not the most responsible as green house gasses increase and the food supply chain is implicated by it.  Climate change will cause massive changes and could even cause food shortages.  Public acceptability for this option is likely to be low due to these factors.  This option will not have any effect on tourism or crime.  Choosing this option will not promote the interest of the budget alocated to the medical industry.


Recommendation:


Option two is recommended.