[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.48,0:00:10.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is the tale of two ancient cities
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.46,0:00:14.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the trees \Nthat determined their destinies.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.07,0:00:19.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In 3,000 BC Uruk was more densely \Npopulated than modern day New York City.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.93,0:00:24.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This crowded capital had to continually\Nexpand their irrigation system
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.80,0:00:26.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to feed its growing population.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.90,0:00:33.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,2,500 years later in Sri Lanka, the city \Nof Anuradhapura had a similar problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.78,0:00:36.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were also growing constantly,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.25,0:00:42.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and like Uruk, their city relied heavily \Non an elaborate irrigation system.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.02,0:00:48.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As Uruk grew, its farmers began chopping \Ndown trees to make space for more crops.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.29,0:00:51.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Anuradhapura, however, \Ntrees were sacred.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.54,0:00:54.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their city housed an offshoot \Nof the Bodhi tree
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.84,0:00:59.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,under which Buddha himself \Nwas said to have attained enlightenment.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.11,0:01:02.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Religious reverence \Nslowed farmer’s axes
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.21,0:01:06.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and even led the city to plant \Nadditional trees in urban parks.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.95,0:01:10.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Initially, Uruk’s expansion worked well.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.15,0:01:13.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But without trees to filter \Ntheir water supply,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.33,0:01:16.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Uruk’s irrigation system \Nbecame contaminated.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.71,0:01:19.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Evaporating water left mineral deposits,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.56,0:01:23.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which rendered the soil \Ntoo salty for agriculture.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.08,0:01:27.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Conversely, Anuradhapura’s \Nirrigation system was designed to work
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.39,0:01:29.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in concert with the surrounding forest.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.89,0:01:34.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their city eventually grew to more than \Ntwice Uruk’s population,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.12,0:01:40.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and today, Anuradhapura still cares \Nfor a tree planted over 2,000 years ago.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.77,0:01:44.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We may think of nature as being \Nunconnected to our urban spaces,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.91,0:01:49.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but trees have always been \Nan essential part of successful cities.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.66,0:01:53.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Trees act like a natural sponge, \Nabsorbing storm water runoff
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.97,0:01:56.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,before releasing it back \Ninto the atmosphere.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.78,0:01:59.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The webs of their roots protect against \Nmudslides
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.56,0:02:03.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while allowing soil to retain water \Nand filter out toxins.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.64,0:02:05.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Roots help prevent floods,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.67,0:02:09.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while reducing the need for storm \Ndrains and water treatment plants.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.60,0:02:14.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their porous leaves purify the air \Nby trapping carbon and other pollutants,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.76,0:02:18.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,making them essential \Nin the fight against climate change.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.35,0:02:23.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Humanity has been uncovering \Nthese arboreal benefits for centuries.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.03,0:02:27.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But trees aren’t just crucial \Nto the health of a city’s infrastructure;
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.13,0:02:30.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they play a vital role in the health \Nof its citizens as well.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.60,0:02:36.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the 1870’s, Manhattan had few trees \Noutside the island’s parks.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.22,0:02:38.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Without trees to provide shade,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.22,0:02:42.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,buildings absorbed up to nine times \Nmore solar radiation
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.31,0:02:44.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,during deadly summer heat waves.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.63,0:02:47.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Combined with the period’s \Npoor sanitation standards,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.78,0:02:53.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the oppressive heat made the city a \Nbreeding ground for bacteria like cholera.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.23,0:02:57.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In modern day Hong Kong, tall skyscrapers\Nand underground infrastructure
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.94,0:03:00.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,make it difficult for trees to grow.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.34,0:03:04.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This contributes to the city’s \Ndangerously poor air quality,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.22,0:03:07.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which can cause bronchitis \Nand diminished lung function.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.90,0:03:10.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Trees affect our mental health as well.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.21,0:03:15.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Research indicates that the presence \Nof green foliage increases attention spans
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.49,0:03:17.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and decreases stress levels.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.91,0:03:22.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It’s even been shown that hospital \Npatients with views of brick walls
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.06,0:03:26.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,recover more slowly than \Nthose with views of trees.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.06,0:03:29.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Fortunately, many cities \Nare full of views like this—
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.45,0:03:30.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that’s no accident.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.90,0:03:32.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As early as the 18th century,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.88,0:03:37.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,city planners began to embrace \Nthe importance of urban trees.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.62,0:03:43.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In 1733, Colonel James Oglethorpe \Nplanned the city of Savannah, Georgia
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.29,0:03:48.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to ensure that no neighborhood \Nwas more than a 2-minute walk from a park.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.24,0:03:53.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After World War II, Copenhagen directed \Nall new development along five arteries—
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.88,0:03:56.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,each sandwiched between a park.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.51,0:03:58.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This layout increased \Nthe city’s resilience
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.85,0:04:01.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to pollution and natural disasters.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.27,0:04:04.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And urban trees don’t just benefit people.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.26,0:04:08.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Portland’s Forest Park preserves \Nthe region’s natural biodiversity,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.42,0:04:11.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,making the city home to various \Nlocal plants,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.27,0:04:16.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,112 bird species, \Nand 62 species of mammals.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.24,0:04:20.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No city is more committed to trees \Nthan Singapore.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.01,0:04:26.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Since 1967, Singapore’s government\Nhas planted over 1.2 million trees,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.35,0:04:32.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including those within 50-meter tall \Nvertical gardens called supertrees.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.07,0:04:36.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These structures sustain themselves \Nand nearby conservatories
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.07,0:04:39.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with solar energy and collected rainwater.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.18,0:04:44.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Trees and vegetation currently cover \Nover 50% of Singapore’s landmass,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.13,0:04:46.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reducing the need for air conditioning
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.26,0:04:49.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and encouraging low-pollution \Ntransportation.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.41,0:04:55.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,By 2050, it’s estimated that over 65% of\Nthe world will be living in cities.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.33,0:04:58.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,City planners can lay an eco-friendly\Nfoundation,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.97,0:05:02.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it’s up to the people who live \Nin these urban forests
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.81,0:05:04.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make them homes for more than humans.