The Water Impacts of Establishing an Equitable Tree Canopy for Los Angeles

Abstract

Extreme heat as a result of climate change is already being felt in Los Angeles and will only increase throughout the century. Not all residents of Los Angeles feel these effects equally. Shaded areas provide valuable relief from the heat, but the shade provided by street trees has historically been concentrated in certain communities and excluded from others. To create a just future in the face of climate change, all communities must have the resources to maintain habitable conditions, including shade trees. Establishing the number of trees required to build an equitable tree canopy for the city requires another scarce resource: water. This paper analyzes the amount of water and associated impacts required to establish an equitable tree canopy in Los Angeles through a lens of distributive justice. I conclude that, from a water standpoint, the benefits of increased tree canopy outweigh the energy, financial, and supply costs needed to achieve a more equitable tree canopy.