Frankfurt is a green city: about half of the urban area consists of open green spaces. In 2014, Frankfurt was awarded the „European City of the Trees 2014“ Prize for its care of the over 200,000 trees in the city which ensure shade and evaporation in Frankfurt’s parks, streets and public squares and help mitigate the effects of the heat.

Frankfurt‘s Green Belt, already a protected area for 25 years, encloses the city with a ring of meadow orchards, nature conservation areas, fields, small gardens and large public parks. Frankfurt‘s city forest - one of the biggest in Germany - is also part of the Green Belt.

The valleys of Frankfurt’s rivers, the Main and the Nidda, are more than just important cold-air corridors. In the past, considerable efforts were made to re-create the canal-like Nidda with a more natural look - while observing flood protection regulations. Meanders were re-connected and weirs removed. In the Fechenheimer Mainbogen a near-natural landscape with floodplain character will come into being in the near future. This creates new, richly-diverse living space for flora and fauna and fosters biodiversity.

At the same time residents can experience the environment in new ways. Easily-reached, attractive green areas are invaluable as social meeting points for leisure and relaxation.

Frankfurt, one of 19 communities developing a “Masterplan 100 % Climate Protection“, will play a leading role in reaching Germany’s climate protection objectives. The city has committed itself to halving energy consumption by 2050 and covering its remaining energy requirements with renewable energies. By 2050, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 95 percent compared to 1990. An ambitious aim, where everyone, inhabitants, companies, clubs and institutions, must lend a hand.