OPINION | South Seattle Swelters in Heat Waves. Planting 10,000 Trees Is a Step Towards Climate Justice.

When summer heat waves hit Seattle, the thermometer tells only part of the story. While affluent neighborhoods north of the ship canal stay relatively cool under their leafy canopies, South Seattle swelters — sometimes 10 degrees hotter. This isn't just uncomfortable; it's a dangerous manifestation of environmental injustice that demands immediate action.

As an educator who has worked in Beacon Hill schools since 2018, I've witnessed this disparity firsthand. I've watched students struggle to concentrate in overheated classrooms where broken air conditioning meets inadequate tree cover. I've seen elderly residents wait for buses with no shade, their health endangered by temperatures that could be easily mitigated with a proper tree canopy. Parents tell me their children can't play outside during heat waves because their streets offer no refuge from the sun.

This disparity didn't happen by accident. Decades of discriminatory urban planning have stripped South Seattle's working-class communities and communities of color of the green infrastructure that keeps neighborhoods livable. Today, as climate change intensifies extreme weather events, these same communities face the gravest consequences: skyrocketing energy bills, deteriorating air quality, increased heat-related illness, and limited access to the cooling relief that adequate tree cover provides.

The solution is both simple and urgent: Seattle must plant 10,000 trees in South Seattle by 2030.

Trees are among our most powerful climate tools. Mature trees can cool the surrounding air by up to 9 degrees, reduce energy costs by up to 25%, and filter hundreds of pounds of pollutants annually. Cities from Phoenix to Paris recognize urban forests as essential infrastructure. Yet Seattle treats tree equity as an afterthought rather than a climate necessity.

My petition calling for 10,000 trees has drawn enthusiastic support from residents across Seattle who understand that climate justice means protecting our most vulnerable communities first. This initiative goes beyond simply planting trees — we must ensure proper maintenance, genuine community ownership, and sustainable long-term stewardship while creating meaningful local employment opportunities and building neighborhood resilience against future climate impacts.

We need native species that won't contribute to over-pollination, strategic placement to maximize cooling benefits, and protection for existing mature trees. Most importantly, we need South Seattle residents leading this effort, determining which streets need trees most and how their neighborhoods should be transformed.

I've reached out to City Councilmembers and await their concrete commitment to this fundamental act of climate justice. Local environmental groups have expressed genuine interest in collaboration, bringing valuable expertise and resources to the effort. But ultimately, this must be a community-driven initiative that centers the voices of South Seattle residents who have been systematically excluded from environmental decision-making for far too long.

Climate change will continue intensifying Seattle's heat waves. We can either allow South Seattle to bear the brunt of rising temperatures or act now to create the equitable, resilient city our climate demands.

Every neighborhood deserves clean air, ample shade, and protection from extreme heat. South Seattle shouldn't survive scorching summers while North Seattle stays cool. True climate justice means ensuring communities hit first and worst by climate change receive resources needed not just to survive, but to thrive.

Ten thousand trees won't solve climate change, but they represent Seattle's commitment to environmental equity and community resilience. They're an investment in cooler streets, cleaner air, and a more just future.

The question isn't whether we can afford to plant these trees. It's whether we can afford not to.

Let's walk this path together, planting today for a future we can proudly pass on to the next generation.

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Tom McEnery is a Seattle resident, educator, and climate justice advocate. He lives in North Seattle and has worked in South Seattle schools since 2018.