Assessing the health impacts of urban biogenic emissions under global warming

While urban vegetation often provides benefits like cooling and carbon capture, its emissions can also contribute to air pollution in ways that we don’t yet fully understand. Additionally, biogenic emissions (emissions generated by natural sources like plants and soil) are expected to increase substantially under a warming climate, potentially outweighing the gains made through policy-driven emissions reductions. This project will establish an integrative framework to assess the impacts of biogenic emissions on urban air quality and conduct comprehensive assessments of public health risks under a changing climate. The team will develop high-resolution biogenic emissions models under future climate scenarios and improve air pollution and exposure attribution models. The findings will foster awareness of urban greening’s dual benefits and risks, promoting more informed decisions in the context of healthy city planning. New modeling tools from the project will help identify and optimize strategies for urban greening plans. This project will serve as a stepping stone for a broader research agenda aimed at integrating air quality management, public health, and urban ecology to achieve healthier and more sustainable cities.

Above: Wang's research will use data from Los Angeles neighborhoods to study the impact of emissions from urban vegetation on air quality and optimize strategies for sustainable urban planning. Image credit: Roschetzky stock Photo / iStock