Researchers have discovered that nature-based solutions may exceed technological innovations in their efficacy in reducing air pollution. Their work is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. By adding plants and trees to factory dense locations, researchers saw a reduction in air pollution by an average of 27 percent.
Their study also demonstrates that natural solutions, not necessarily technological innovations, yield a cheaper option for cleaning air at industrial sites, power plants, commercial boilers, and oil and gas drilling sites. Researchers found that in 75 percent of the counties analyzed, it was cheaper to use plants to mitigate air pollution than it was to add technological interventions.
"The fact is that traditionally, especially as engineers, we don't think about nature; we just focus on putting technology into everything," said Bhavik Bakshi, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at The Ohio State University. "And so, one key finding is that we need to start looking at nature and learning from it and respecting it. There are win-win opportunities if we do - opportunities that are potentially cheaper and better environmentally."