Planting healthy air: A global analysis of the role of urban trees in addressing particulate matter pollution and extreme heat

In this report, The Nature Conservancy - in coordination with C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group - explores how nature can play a role in helping to solve the twin challenges of air pollution and excess heat.

According to the report, street trees can be a part of a cost-effective portfolio of interventions aimed at controlling particulate matter pollution and mitigating high temperatures in cities. While trees cannot and should not replace other strategies to make air healthier, trees can be used in conjunction with these other strategies to help clean and cool the air. Moreover, trees provide a multitude of other benefits beyond healthier air. In the right spot, trees can both help make our air healthier and our cities more verdant and livable.