Cork City Council has defended the installation of five expensive 'robot trees' in the city centre - insisting they are a "proven technology" that will make an impact.
The new CityTrees have been installed to help clean pollutants from the air, at a total cost of around €350,000 a year (including maintenance).
The CityTrees are large devices covered in special mosses, with the aim of removing pollutants and harmful substances such as nitrogen dioxide from the air.
The ‘trees’ - which resemble pieces of wooden street furniture - are being installed at St Patrick’s Street near French Church Street, as well as the Grand Parade near the City Library.
It's claimed a CityTree can "reduce fine dust pollution in its immediate vicinity by up to 53%".
The 1st of our CityTrees were installed today on St Patricks St.
CityTrees help combat fine dust particle pollution &other pollution associated with traffic congestion.
Air pollution causes up to 1,300 deaths each yr, says @EPAIreland
👩💻Check out https://t.co/b4H0SfyTJP pic.twitter.com/F5E0kBJabq— Cork City Council (@corkcitycouncil) August 9, 2021
The devices are already used in cities such as London and Berlin.
However, the project has drawn criticism from some climate campaigners and experts.
UCC researcher and atmospheric scientist Dr Dean Venables told The Irish Examiner the devices are a “costly and ineffectual gimmick”.
He believes they won’t have a discernible impact on Cork’s overall air quality, and reducing emissions must be the main strategy to improve air quality.
David Joyce, Director of Operations with Cork City Council, told Newstalk Breakfast this particular project is happening alongside the council's larger-scale tree planting efforts.
He said: “Cork City Council has plans to plant 1,300 trees in 2021 alone. We have planted thousands of trees in recent years.
“But why not do both? A CityTree is a completely different entity than a normal tree. A normal tree you plant… will convert carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen… will store the carbon in the tree trunk, and release the oxygen back into the atmosphere.
“A CityTree is very, very different. It targets particulate matter in the atmosphere - dust in effect, that comes out from internal combustion engines in vehicles and the burning of fossil fuels.
"The moss eats the dust, and therefore cleans 80% of the dust out of the air.”
Mr Joyce said there has been some opposition to the initiative, but “many, many people” support it as a “new and innovative project”.
He said: “We’re looking at trying to take new, innovative technologies and trying to use them across the city… trying to understand how these can help Cork City improve the air quality.
“They do have an impact - they are a proven technology. This is not something that has been dreamt up overnight.”
He said “extensive research” was done into the CityTrees, and local authorities will now closely monitor the impact of the trees over the next 12 months.
He stressed it also comes alongside long-term environmental projects, such as a major transit strategy to take internal combustion engines off Cork roads.
