DEPRIVED parts of Glasgow still lack essential green infrastructure, scientists have said, which will leave people living in them more exposed to the effects of climate change.

Researchers say the city is facing climate change risks such as flooding and overheating and that, by 2050, its climate will be very similar to that in London today. The Dear Green Place needs more greenery, and the team says it has demonstrated that a green infrastructure – trees, greens, parks and meadows – has the potential to reduce flooding and provide some cooling during the summer months.

However, it says that without an equal spread of green infrastructure, climate change’s negative effects will disproportionately impact society’s most vulnerable, especially those in deprived areas and the north east of the city in particular.

PhD student Makanjuola Majekodunmi undertook the work, co-supervised by Professor Rohinton Emmanuel, director of GCU’s Beam Centre, and Professor Tahseen Jafry, director of GCU’s Centre for Climate Justice.

Emmanuel said they had highlighted the mismatch between the most deprived parts of Glasgow and areas that had seen benefits from a green infrastructure currently.

He said: “We found a great deal of disparity. Our work, as a visual presentation, shows city planners the potential benefits of green spaces and the areas where these benefits are most needed.

The city council says it will now include this research in its current programme.

“If you increase tree cover by 20%, you could eliminate one-third to half of the expected urban heat increase by 2050. This sort of intervention is well worth considering.”

Jafry said: “Without an equal spread of green infrastructure, the negative effects of climate change will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable in society, especially those in deprived areas of Glasgow.

“The poorest often bear the brunt of climate change and it is this climate injustice that this research aims to address.”

Emmanuel’s research is an adaption of an EU programme the academic worked on earlier.

His previous research work shows that the overheating problem in London is already significant – which he said was an unintended climate consequence of urbanisation. He said: “We have to increase the numbers of trees, construct buildings in such a way that they are able to ventilate themselves, create public spaces that are climate conducive – shaded, for example – so it will be possible for people to take advantage of the climate-sensitive parts of the city even if the buildings are slow to change.”

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “We have been linking with Caley Uni as part of our work on various plans that will influence how open spaces in Glasgow are used in future.

“We are clear that climate change poses a greater risk to more deprived communities and so climate change must be treated as both an environmental and social justice issue.

“Since declaring a climate emergency in May last year, we have been developing a strategy that focuses on decarbonising heating and transport and greening the city.

“At present there are around two million trees in Glasgow and around 4500 hectares of land within the city are considered as parkland or open space.

“But we have a drive to extend significantly the coverage of the tree canopy in the city and we have just appointed a dedicated woodland development officer to carry forward our vision.”