Reporter Justine McDaniel talks about air pollution:

“A rising number of Americans — nearly 2 in 5 — has been living with unhealthy levels of air pollution, while the United States experienced a record number of days between 2020 and 2022 with very unhealthy or hazardous air, according to a new report … More than 90 million people are living in places where the air quality is worse than a new U.S. standard … Climate change — fueling wildfires, drought and dust — is not only worsening air quality, but also making pollution increasingly challenging to combat, experts said, setting up a new reality for public health and canceling out years of gains made through the Clean Air Act.”

She continues, “Poor air increases the risk of health ailments, lung damage and cardiovascular problems; exacerbates existing conditions; and causes premature deaths. Communities of color are disproportionately affected by these impacts — of the 30 counties the American Lung Association said had failing grades on all three of its air pollution measurements, 63 percent of residents were people of color.”

BBC reporter Erin Riley expands, “Across the US, minority neighbourhoods have 11% less tree canopy and 14% more artificially built surface area, such as asphalt and cement, than majority-white neighbourhoods… This disparity is greatest in the north-east of the US. Here, cities are characterised by dense centres of minority neighbourhoods and leafier suburbs as well as exurbs where white communities are more likely to reside.”

Poverty and prejudice explain a lot of the disparities, but some solutions are not that difficult. Riley explains, “It’s well known that greater access to nature has a range of benefits, such as improved cognitive function, blood pressure, mental health, physical activity and sleep … Targeted planting in areas historically lacking trees – which are predominantly communities of colour — would pay for itself in the health and power bills it would offset, the researchers found.”

As discussed in one of my earlier posts, Treehugger’s Lloyd Alter explained, “… the shade provided by trees can reduce our physiologically equivalent temperature (that is, how warm we feel our surroundings to be) by between seven and 15°C, depending on our latitude.’” 

“Trees have a remarkable range of traits that can help reduce urban air pollution, and cities around the world are looking to harness them,” Journalist VittoriaTraverso expands. “Trees can improve air quality in direct and indirect ways. Indirectly, they can help by shading surfaces and reducing temperatures … by reducing the need for conventional air conditioning, and the emissions of greenhouse gases that come with it. Plus, lower temperatures decrease risk of harmful pollutants like ground level ozone that commonly spike on hot days in urban areas.”

“But increasingly, greenery has been edging its way back into modern urban landscapes, and for good reason. Vegetation helps cities become better habitats for wildlife and for people, and it helps to make city air safer.”

Cornell’s Nneka suggests, “Maybe you could plant a tree by a bus stop, because that means more people actually get to experience its shade.” 

 We can start by just planting trees.

Additional information:

Justine McDaniel, Nearly 2 in 5 Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air. Why it’s Getting Worse, April 24, 2024, The Washington Post

Erin Vivid Riley, These Are the Neighbourhoods in Most Urgent Need of Trees, 16 April 2024, BBC News

Steve Tarlton, The Air We Breathe, Writes of Nature, 5/2/24