The Potential of People’s Engagement by Green Taxation to Maintain Urban Green Space

Green taxes hold significant potential as effective tools for financing crucial initiatives, promoting sustainable urban design, and addressing the challenges of urbanization and climate change. This chapter explores citizen engagement in green taxation decision-making, from levying taxes to mitigate pollution impacts to allocating funds for citizen-centric urban forestry management. It emphasizes the role of taxation policies in shaping public behavior and awareness regarding environmental conservation and the adverse effects of pollution on forests and biodiversity. The chapter examines successful global green taxation initiatives, such as Amsterdam’s green restoration project, Sweden’s NOx emission tax, and France’s forest tax, illustrating how environmental incentives can positively impact the environment. It underscores the need for moderation and a balanced approach between environmental and economic factors to implement circular economy and green taxation policies effectively. The economic evaluation of urban green infrastructure is discussed, highlighting methods like Discounted Cash Flow analysis and LiDAR remote sensing to measure ecosystem services and understand the financial benefits of urban greenery. The chapter highlights global successes in urban forestry through citizen participation and green taxation. Additionally, it focuses on the status of urban forestry in India, policies to enhance citizen engagement in green taxation, and the need to address social and economic concerns to improve participation in climate mitigation measures. It also examines reasons for past failures in mitigating climate change, such as decreased funding and continued investment in fossil fuels, which hinder effective policy implementation. The chapter argues for the importance of public participation in green taxation measures, underscoring its critical role in fostering sustainable urban environments and successful climate mitigation efforts.