This article originally appeared at Anti-Media.
Nanjing, China — With much of the developed world looking to China to take the lead on the highly controversial issue of climate change, it was reported this week that the global power will construct two “vertical forest” towers in the major city of Nanjing in an effort to combat greenhouse gas emissions.
The towers, to be completed by 2018, will be the first of their kind in Asia and will be constructed under the guidance of Stefano Boeri, the architect behind similar forest skyscrapers in Italy and Switzerland.
On his website, Boeri describes the concept behind vertical forests:
“Vertical Forest is a model for sustainable residential building, a project for metropolitan reforestation contributing to the regeneration of the environment and urban biodiversity without the implication of expanding upon the territory.”
Combined, the two structures — the outer facades of which will be studded from top to bottom with thousands of trees, plants and shrubberies — are predicted to produce around 60 kg of oxygen per day and absorb about 25 tons of CO2 a year.
Reporting on the news, the Daily Mail described the amenities the project will provide:
“The taller tower, 600 feet high, crowned on the top by a green lantern, will host offices — from the 8th floor to the 35th — and it will include a museum, a green architecture school and a private club on the rooftop.
“The second tower, 355 feet high, will provide a Hyatt hotel with 247 rooms and a swimming pool on the rooftop.”
Boeri hopes the Nanjing project will lead to others in China, including a luxury hotel in Guizhou, which will be set among 400 acres of rolling hills and will feature a bar, gym, lounge, VIP area, conference room and restaurant.
China — a nation well-known for its pollution problems — is, of late, being looked to for leadership on the climate change issue. Newly-elected President Donald Trump, who has dismissed climate change as a hoax, has threatened to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, a United Nations pact signed by nearly 200 countries that aims to tackle environmental concerns such as greenhouse gases.
Whether or not China will step into this role is yet to be determined, but some analysts believe China’s president, Xi Jinping has recently expressed a willingness. “There is only one Earth in the universe and we mankind have only one homeland,” he said while speaking before a United Nations assembly in Geneva. The leader added:
“The Paris agreement is a milestone in the history of climate governance. We must ensure this endeavor is not derailed.”
