- Dow Chemical, one of the largest chemical companies in the US, and Nature Conservancy, one of US’s oldest conservation groups have come together to implement a plan to replace expensive machines used for reducing pollution by groves of native trees that earlier lined the Gulf Coast in Texas.
- Many trees have the ability to naturally reduce pollution by capturing most pollutants, especially nitrogen-di-oxide, a common byproduct of combustion that irritates lungs and plays a role in the formation of ground-level ozone.
- Influenced by a notation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that suggested the role of reforestation in improving air quality, they are coming up with a cost-effective model.
- The scientists used a complex model by the U.S. Forest Service that keeps in account wind patterns, the size of the trees and the overall canopy in improving the air quality in 1,000 acres of forests.
- Research suggests that over 30 yrs, a 1,000 acre forest would remove 4 to 7 tons of nitrogen oxide annually.
- Mechanical scrubbers remove about 50-70 tons annually.
- Read at: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/trees-to-combat-pollution/article6099361.ece
Exams Perspective:
- Air Pollution
- Forests as Natural Carbon Sinks
- Measures to overcome Air Pollution
- Acid Rain
- Kyoto Protocol