Tree planting to beat heat: Expert links urban greening to carbon dioxide reduction in Hubballi

An environmental expert in Dharwad, India, has called for large-scale tree plantation as the most effective local strategy against rising temperatures linked to global warming. Speaking at a cleanliness and sapling drive, Prof. SL Madivalar explained that carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere, and that expanding green cover is critical because forests, oceans, and wetlands that absorb carbon are shrinking each year. The event, organized by Parisarakkaagi Naavu Sanghatane and the State Pollution Control Board, also highlighted new solid waste management rules effective April 2026. Households must now separate dry waste into recyclable categories, and sanitary waste must be treated as biomedical waste. The expert noted that economically weaker communities suffer most from extreme heat due to limited resources for protection.