Green Infrastructures, Pollutant Absorption and Economic Values

The environment, the climate emergency and the challenge of nature conservation and biodiversity are crucial issues. In urban areas, where the effects of climate change and the increase in pollutants are most pronounced, the Ecosystem Services offered by greenery, such as the removal of air pollutants, the absorption and sequestration of CO2 and the mitigation of high urban temperatures, produce significant benefits for communities. This research focuses on the ability of green infrastructure to reduce concentrations of dangerous air pollutants, namely Particulate Matter (PM) and ground-level ozone. First, the mechanisms of the uptake of both PM and ozone by vegetation are investigated, highlighting their effects on human health. Then, a critical review of the main approaches to estimating economic costs and benefits related to the change in mortality and morbidity caused by air pollution is proposed. Finally, on the basis of literature data, an indicative value of the economic benefit for Italy related to fewer deaths due to improved air quality is suggested. The perspective of the paper is the definition of a model capable of correlating the levels of particulate matter and ozone absorbed annually by vegetation with the monetary value of the corresponding ecosystem service. This is done by estimating both the reduced health costs resulting from the reduction of diseases and the economic benefits resulting from the reduced number of deaths.