‘Act before it’s too late’: Tokyo residents fight for more trees

One sweltering day in Tokyo, Kaoru Morimoto told friends she wasn’t sure she could endure another summer in her neighborhood, where tree cover and the crucial shade it provides is dwindling. As Japan experiences ever more frequent extreme heat, tree cover that can help lower temperatures is shrinking rather than growing in Tokyo, bucking a trend among many major world capitals. Morimoto wants that to change.

Last year she launched a campaign urging officials to set a canopy cover target, a rare grassroots initiative focused on the issue.