IIt’s 9pm on a sweltering July evening in the Plaza de Santa Ana, a square in the heart of Madrid’s literary quarter. The thermometer has barely dropped below 39 degrees, but despite the heat, a 78-year-old woman climbs onto a bench to deliver an impassioned speech to a crowd of 200 people.

“Did you think we wouldn’t be here, Señor Almeida?” She scans the crowd, looking for José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the mayor of Madrid, while desperate cries of “Treeicides!” (Tree Murder) break the silence. Her face is instantly recognizable. She is film star Marisa Paredes, an actress immortalized in Almodóvar classics such as High Heels – and just one of many activists trying to stop what appears to be a concerted campaign to deforest downtown Madrid.

As I watch a recording of Paredes’ fiery speech, I get out in tears, amazed by her bravery. Like many others, I fled the city for the summer because I couldn’t stand the extreme heat. Madrid is one of the world’s worst heat islands, and its foliage offers a welcome respite from the unbearable temperatures. But in a move reminiscent of the recent decision in Sheffield to deploy workers with chainsaws in the early hours of the morning to fell trees, Almeida’s government appears to be banking on locals getting out there to rid Santa Ana of 85% of its tree cover.

The battle to preserve urban tree cover is a story that is becoming increasingly important around the world, from Malta to Hyderabad, as locals show extraordinary courage to stand up to big-business interests and demand livable cities. In Madrid, the burning issue is city squares, where redevelopment work in recent years has turned what were once communal spaces into inhospitable hot concrete expanses that drive tourists straight to the nearest air-conditioned shop.

The problem reached its peak in 2023, when plans to build a subway extension were changed to require the felling of more than 1,000 trees, many of them in public parks near Madrid’s renaturalized riverfront. Fed up of their needs being ignored by the city council, local residents protested in large numbers. And it worked: while many trees were lost, just under half of the trees that were scheduled to be felled were saved.

But this time, despite all the resistance, the city council did not give up. When the €6.1 million contract to renovate the underground car park under Santa Ana was awarded to the private construction company Grupo Ortiz, trees were hastily scheduled for felling. The mayor justified this work by saying that it was necessary due to local moisture problems in the underground car park – but this is flimsy at best. Who needs parking spaces for residents in a city center where locals are being pushed out of the housing market by tourist apartments?

More importantly, we know that tree cover saves lives. EU research shows that increasing tree canopy size in urban areas could save hundreds of lives every summer, particularly in countries like Italy, Croatia, Romania and Spain. It’s a relatively inexpensive but effective measure – and given that heat deaths in Madrid rose to 1,308 in the brutally hot summer of 2022, it seems particularly relevant.

Of course, there are other interests at work too. Grupo Ortiz can make huge profits by managing the car park, and the city council saves money itself: it is much cheaper to rip trees out of the urban fabric and plant seedlings far outside the city. “There is money in this. The government in Madrid is doing everything it can to promote gentrification and tourism, destroying absolutely everything,” as activist Dolores Méndez from No a la Tala (No to felling) puts it.

This may explain the administration’s harsh approach to protesters in the city. Méndez was fined last year when police forcibly removed activists from trees to allow the construction of the new subway. Ignoring increasing legislation against peaceful protests, she did not pay her fine, which has now doubled to 601 euros. Meanwhile, total fines for activists in the city exceed 19,000 euros. No a la Tala will fight the case in court. Its members hope that not all justice systems are as harsh on those fighting for the planet as the British one, which imposed shockingly harsh sentences on Just Stop Oil protesters in July.

Madrid’s hellishly hot summer is also leading to a series of dangerous changes being rushed through. One could repeal a law requiring felled trees to be replaced – a prelude to more rampant construction. Certainly, plans to build a Formula 1 circuit in the city could bring further destruction, as could plans to build a new transport hub near the river.

Protests have gained momentum in Plaza de Santa Ana amid rumors that the trees could fall at any moment. As the foliage began to turn brown, locals realized that irrigation systems had been turned off and began lugging buckets of water out in the sweltering heat to keep the trees alive.

At the last minute, the incredible resilience of Paredes and activists like Méndez prevailed. Two weeks ago, work was halted as the local government agreed to hold talks with the citizens’ associations, but negotiations will resume in September. As with the riverside protest, activists have vowed not to give up. While we still mourn the utter destruction, every tree saved gives hope to others around the world that these battles can be won.