{"id":96846,"date":"2026-09-05T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=96846"},"modified":"2026-09-05T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:00:00","slug":"central-park-adapts-to-climate-change-while-helping-new-york-stay-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=96846","title":{"rendered":"Central Park adapts to climate change while helping New York stay cool"},"content":{"rendered":"


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New York\u2019s Central Park \u2013 one of the world\u2019s most recognisable\u00a0landmarks \u2013 is experiencing heavier downpours, flooding and soil erosion, while prolonged heatwaves are putting pressure on the ecosystem as well as visitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the park also helps New York cope with the heat. It helps cool the city, clean the air, capture stormwater and gives people a place to escape the heat under the trees. The temperature in the park can be around 5\u00b0Celsius (10\u00b0F) lower than on surrounding streets, according to the Central Park Climate Lab.<\/p>\n

\n UN News\/Evgeniya Kleshcheva<\/span>
\n People ride bicycles through Central Park in New York City.<\/span>
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\u201cCentral Park and urban parks are so much more than just recreation spaces,\u201d said Yanina Kupava, a Director at the Central Park Conservancy.\u00a0\u201cThey are vital urban green infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

UN News<\/em> visited Central Park on a hot summer day, just weeks before world leaders gather at UN Headquarters for the General Assembly\u2019s General Debate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As politicians and experts discuss how cities can adapt to a warming planet, some of those solutions can already be seen just a few blocks away in the park.<\/p>\n

Plants for a new climate<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If the main challenge in the 1980s was restoring the park \u2013 which had suffered from years of neglect after the 1970s fiscal crisis \u2013 today the priority is to preserve its historic landscape in the face of a changing climate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Park\u2019s celebrated crabapple alleys, for example, have become one of its most spectacular sights in spring, when branches burst into white, pink and purple blossom. Park staff say the setting is so romantic that the number of marriage proposals there is \u201cwild\u201d.<\/p>\n

But winters that are too warm could prevent apple trees from flowering altogether, while spells of warm weather in February can cause magnolias and cherry trees to bloom too soon.<\/p>\n

\n UN News\/Evgeniya Kleshcheva<\/span>
\n Yanina Kupava is a Director at the Central Park Conservancy.<\/span>
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\u201cIf they bloom too early then a late frost can really impact the trees,\u201d Ms. Kupava explained. \u201cAnd if we get milder and milder winters those trees might have trouble blooming and pollinating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being located in the middle of a major metropolis places additional pressure on the park\u2019s plants and wildlife. New York, like other densely built-up urban areas, heats up faster and retains heat longer than surrounding suburban and rural areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Central Park Conservancy, the body in charge of maintaining the park, is thus looking for plant varieties that may be better adapted to the new climate and is experimenting with plants from different climate zones.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The challenge is a delicate one: adapting a landscape conceived in the 19th Century to 21st-Century conditions without allowing Central Park to lose the character that has made it recognisable around the world.<\/p>\n

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