City-dwellers, if you didn’t already love your trees, here is another reason for you to become a treehugger. Researchers of the University of Leicester have found that trees are vital for improving the quality of air that we breathe in our cities. They have a measurable impact on pedestrians, by reducing ambient concentrations of road traffic emissions. The study shows the trees do this by dispersing pollutants. It was also found that trees reduce wind speeds, but at the same time produce turbulence in these winds that helps disperse pollution, lowering the exposure that pedestrians face. Besides pollution, trees are well known to reduce stress. With cities increasingly growing around the world, these new findings are of great importance in the future of urban planning.
Scientists explain the impact of urban trees on air quality: They decrease pollution levels
More of Today's Solutions
All city buildings in Chicago are now powered by renewable energy
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Chicago entered 2024 with a landmark achievement: every one of its 411 municipal buildings, from City Hall to ...
Read MoreHow unique leopard calls could impact conservation
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Leopards, renowned for their stealth and solitary nature, have always been challenging to study. However, groundbreaking research revealed that ...
Read MoreThese solar-powered barges can scoop up 50 tons of plastic from rivers each day
While removing the plastic waste that currently contaminates the ocean today will be crucial for protecting marine ecosystems, it is arguably more important that ...
Read MoreWashington’s first human compost company is open for business
Washington passed a law in 2019 allowing citizens to compost themselves after death for a more sustainable burial process. Fast forward a year later ...
Read More
