Awareness of Air Pollution and Ecosystem Services Provided by Trees: The Case Study of Warsaw City

Abstract

One of the consequences of the constant urban development in numerous countries is a growing concentration of air pollution, which adversely affects both the environment and people’s health. One of the ways of changing this negative trend is to maintain green areas and trees within cities, as they serve many ecosystem functions, including biological absorption of particles and other types of air pollution. This article provides the findings of a study carried out among the residents of Warsaw, the capital of Poland, in order to assess social awareness of air pollution and the importance of trees. The study of the residents’ awareness was supplemented with the assessment of the parameters of the trees’ capacity for pollution absorption in selected locations performed with the help of the i-Tree Eco tool, which allowed the authors to compare the residents’ impressions on the role of trees in the process of absorption of pollution with their actual potential. The analyses showed that the majority of city residents are concerned with the problem of air in the city, but at the same time failing to notice its negative impact on their health. The majority of respondents were not aware of the role the trees play in the process of pollution absorption, suggesting that there is a real need for raising social awareness of functions served by trees and green areas in urban spaces. The comparison of the city residents’ opinions on the importance of trees in the process of pollution absorption with objective data obtained with the help of i-Tree Eco tool shows that the majority of people’s impressions of pollution absorption by trees in urban areas is correct.

The Influence of Values and Social Environment on Parents’ Environmental Attitudes: Lithuanian Case Study

“…These eco-values show that respondents care about health and a healthy lifestyle, in contrast with personal values, among which health was the least significant value in their lives. Air pollution affects not only climate change, but also human health, and at the same time is one of the causes of increasing morbidity and mortality, which is related to the introduction of substances that are harmful to the human body into the environment and leads to a decrease in the quality of the environment [93,94]. Human activity is the main cause of the negative impact on the environment, as it pollutes not only the air, but also the water we drink and the soil in which we grow vegetation suitable for food.…”

“…The home environment, work environment and study environment are spaces in which people spend more and more time, and the air quality of these spaces is determined by various factors, such as tobacco smoke, fireplaces and various heaters [96]. These factors include the time spent on the road to/from work, school or other environments [97], and therefore, urban policies that contribute to improving air quality by reducing the use of cars in the city and expanding public transport that emits less pollutants are welcome [93]. The results of scientific research have revealed the influence of parents on children's actions by promoting instrumental behavior in order to achieve more sustainable behavior; mothers especially contribute to this, a contribution that is evident in contributing to everyday environmentally sustainable behavior [98].…”

Assessment of Heavy Metal Inhalation Risks in Urban Environments in Poland: A Case Study

“…Warsaw, the capital city and a major urban centre, faces several air pollution challenges. The city's primary causes of air pollution are emissions from road traffic, industrial activities, residential heating, and construction (Kais et al, 2021;Majewski et al, 2018). In particular, during the winter, the city faces increased levels of air pollution due to higher energy consumption for heating purposes (Nazar et al, 2022).…”

“…Both Warsaw and Zabrze have their unique characteristics and air quality challenges. Warsaw, the more densely populated capital city, faces a mix of emissions from various sources typical of large urban centres (Kais et al, 2021;Nazar et al, 2022). Zabrze, on the other hand, has experienced a transformation from a heavily industrial city to a more diverse economy, but its past industrial activities continue to influence its air quality (Hoffman et al, 2022; Michalski & Pecyna-Utylska, 2022).…”

Landscape Ecological Evaluation of Cultural Patterns for the Istanbul Urban Landscape

“…PM has been shown to have a positive relationship with urbanization. Studies examining the relationships between green systems and the concentration of particulate matter in the air have shown that PM density is closely related to the quality and quantity of the green system [50][51][52][53][54]. For this reason, PM 10 was used as an ecological indicator in this research.…”