3 hours ago
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1137452
INTRO: A new review led by the University of East London (UEL) has uncovered a major blind spot in air pollution research. Despite domestic gardens covering vast areas of Britain's towns and cities, researchers found no direct evidence showing whether they reduce pollution levels or improve the air people breathe at home. There is a huge gap about the role of domestic gardens on air quality.
Published in Nature-Based Solutions, the research examined more than 34,000 studies. Just 43 met the criteria for investigating gardens and air pollution, and none directly measured whether domestic gardens reduced pollutant concentrations or improved household air quality.
The finding is significant given the scale of domestic green space. In the UK alone, an estimated 25.8 million gardens cover around 959,800 hectares, while domestic gardens account for approximately 41 per cent of London's total area.
The review found strong evidence from wider green infrastructure research that trees, hedges, shrubs, green walls and other vegetation can capture particulate matter on their surfaces and absorb gaseous pollutants. However, the authors warn that these findings cannot simply be applied to domestic gardens, where buildings, fences, sheds, parked cars and mixed planting create very different patterns of airflow and pollutant movement.
Dense vegetation, for example, may trap pollution on leaf surfaces but can also reduce ventilation, potentially allowing polluted air to build up. Hedges may shield parts of a garden from traffic emissions, but their effectiveness depends on factors including their height, density, distance from roads, surrounding buildings and weather conditions.
Lead author Dr Karina Corada-Pérez, Research Fellow in Air Quality and Green Infrastructure at UEL’s Sustainability Research Institute, said:
"Most of us think of gardens as healthy green spaces, and they absolutely provide many important benefits. But when it comes to air quality, we simply don't yet know enough.
"Plants can capture pollutants, but a garden is much more than a collection of individual plants. Its layout, boundaries, proximity to roads and buildings, and the way air moves through the space may all influence whether vegetation helps reduce pollution or allows it to accumulate.
"Because millions of people spend time in their gardens, grow food in them and open their homes onto them, we urgently need research in real domestic gardens. Only then can we give homeowners, planners and policymakers reliable advice about which planting choices are most likely to support cleaner air." (MORE - details)
INTRO: A new review led by the University of East London (UEL) has uncovered a major blind spot in air pollution research. Despite domestic gardens covering vast areas of Britain's towns and cities, researchers found no direct evidence showing whether they reduce pollution levels or improve the air people breathe at home. There is a huge gap about the role of domestic gardens on air quality.
Published in Nature-Based Solutions, the research examined more than 34,000 studies. Just 43 met the criteria for investigating gardens and air pollution, and none directly measured whether domestic gardens reduced pollutant concentrations or improved household air quality.
The finding is significant given the scale of domestic green space. In the UK alone, an estimated 25.8 million gardens cover around 959,800 hectares, while domestic gardens account for approximately 41 per cent of London's total area.
The review found strong evidence from wider green infrastructure research that trees, hedges, shrubs, green walls and other vegetation can capture particulate matter on their surfaces and absorb gaseous pollutants. However, the authors warn that these findings cannot simply be applied to domestic gardens, where buildings, fences, sheds, parked cars and mixed planting create very different patterns of airflow and pollutant movement.
Dense vegetation, for example, may trap pollution on leaf surfaces but can also reduce ventilation, potentially allowing polluted air to build up. Hedges may shield parts of a garden from traffic emissions, but their effectiveness depends on factors including their height, density, distance from roads, surrounding buildings and weather conditions.
Lead author Dr Karina Corada-Pérez, Research Fellow in Air Quality and Green Infrastructure at UEL’s Sustainability Research Institute, said:
"Most of us think of gardens as healthy green spaces, and they absolutely provide many important benefits. But when it comes to air quality, we simply don't yet know enough.
"Plants can capture pollutants, but a garden is much more than a collection of individual plants. Its layout, boundaries, proximity to roads and buildings, and the way air moves through the space may all influence whether vegetation helps reduce pollution or allows it to accumulate.
"Because millions of people spend time in their gardens, grow food in them and open their homes onto them, we urgently need research in real domestic gardens. Only then can we give homeowners, planners and policymakers reliable advice about which planting choices are most likely to support cleaner air." (MORE - details)