The Potential for Urban Vegetation to Mitigate Ambient Air Pollution Threats to Public Health

Abstract

This paper assesses the threat that ambient air pollution poses to urban public health and the potential role of urban vegetation to mitigate those threats. Air pollution is a major global risk to health, especially in urban areas. In this paper, four major air pollutants were assessed: particulate matter, tropospheric ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. These pollutants were found to have several adverse effects, including increasing mortality and respiratory morbidity. These pollutants come from a variety of sources, but a major contributor in urban areas is the burning of fossil fuels in automobiles. The adverse health effects of pollution are expected to grow as climate change worsens air quality. Research and case studies find that urban vegetation can filter air and remove pollutants through deposition and stomatal uptake. The effectiveness of air pollution removal is dependent upon specific variables, including leaf characteristics, type of vegetation, and seasons. Urban vegetation may worsen air quality in some cases due to slowing ventilation and producing biological volatile organic compounds. While urban vegetation has potential to mitigate ambient air pollution, conducting site specific research is needed when implementing greenspace policies.