Trees and Air Pollution: Vulnerability of Unequal Access to Green Spaces
Topics: Urban Geography
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Keywords: trees, air pollution, environmental justice
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 03:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 05:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 14
Authors:
Siliang Cui, University of Toronto
Matthew Adams, University of Toronto
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Abstract
Air pollution poses a global threat to human health. Trees purify the air by intercepting particles and absorbing gaseous pollutants. Because trees and humans are distributed differently across a landscape, the resulting ecosystem benefits and human well-being will vary, resulting in an unequal right to a healthy and nurturing environment. However, recent Canadian studies have failed to establish a direct link between tree-based air pollution removal, improved human health outcomes, and quantifiable economic benefits across diverse socioeconomic groups. This study aims to determine the tree cover disparities that contribute to changes in human health outcomes associated with air pollution reduction in Peel, Canada, a region with nearly half of its residents being immigrants. The study examines changes in canopy cover, ground-level (O3), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations, as well as the corresponding changes in health outcomes in the Peel Region (which includes the municipalities of Brampton, Caledon, and Mississauga) between January 1 and December 30, 2018. Two steps of analysis were conducted. The first step accounted for the changes in daily concentrations of PM2.5 and ground-level O3 through dry deposition. The second one quantified the health and economic benefits associated with reducing PM2.5 and ground-level O3 by trees. The findings of this study contribute to Canada's fight against environmental injustice and ecological gentrification.
Trees and Air Pollution: Vulnerability of Unequal Access to Green Spaces
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Virtual Paper Abstract
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