Abstract:Summary
Lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily restricted human activity and removed people from many places of work and recreation. The resulting ‘Anthropause’ generated much media and research interest and has become an important storyline in the public history of the pandemic. As an ecological event, the Anthropause is fleeting and unlikely to alter the long-term human impact on the planet. But the Anthropause is also a cultural symbol whose effects may be more enduring. Will the Ant… Show more
“…However, it has been a short-lived respite. Young et al ( 2021 ) termed the lockdown as an “anthropause”—rapidly fleeting and unlikely to alter the impact of destructive human activities on long run. Air pollutant levels in many Indian cities began to spike (Kumar & Chaudhuri, 2021 ), as soon as lockdown was call off, as have been the case in other world cities (Anjum, 2020 ; Zowalaty et al, 2020 ).…”
Most governmental initiatives in India, to leash down urban air pollution, have yielded little results till date, largely due to purely technocratic vision, which is shrouded by technological, economic, social, institutional, and political hardships. We present this reflective article on urban greenery, as a proposition to urban authorities (e.g., pollution regulators, environmental systems’ managers, urban landscape planners, environmental policy makers), shift from purely technocratic way of thinking to
thinking with nature
, by strategic greening of urban spaces, for long-term air pollution prevention and control measures. To that end, we offer a meta-analysis of recent (post 2005) global literature using four-stage PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach. We open the narrative by briefing about main pollutant filtration mechanisms by trees, followed by cognitive aspects of species selection (e.g., deciduous vs. evergreen, air pollution tolerance index, environmental stressors). Till date, most Indian studies on urban greenery mostly but focused on physiological aspects of trees. Here, we draw attention of urban authorities to an equally compelling, but yet less explored, aspect: design criteria, with reference to two most common urban configurations, namely, street canyon and open road. With pictorial depictions, we enumerate various categories of street canyons and discuss aspect ratio (building height to street width) and various wind flow regimes (isolated roughness, wake interface, and skimming), that the urban authorities should be cognizant about to maximize pollutant removal efficiency. For open road, we discuss vegetation barriers, with special emphasis on canopy porosity/density functions. In the final sections, we reflect on a potential systems’ thinking approach for on-ground implementation, comprising of revamping of urban forestry programs, research and development, community mobilization and stakeholder engagement, and strategic outreach. In addition, we emphasize on means to harness co-benefits of urban greenery, beyond mere pollutant removal, to garner support from urban residents’ communities. Last but not the least, we also caution the urban authorities about the undesirable outcomes of urban greenery that will require more process-level research.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10661-022-09808-w.
“…However, it has been a short-lived respite. Young et al ( 2021 ) termed the lockdown as an “anthropause”—rapidly fleeting and unlikely to alter the impact of destructive human activities on long run. Air pollutant levels in many Indian cities began to spike (Kumar & Chaudhuri, 2021 ), as soon as lockdown was call off, as have been the case in other world cities (Anjum, 2020 ; Zowalaty et al, 2020 ).…”
Most governmental initiatives in India, to leash down urban air pollution, have yielded little results till date, largely due to purely technocratic vision, which is shrouded by technological, economic, social, institutional, and political hardships. We present this reflective article on urban greenery, as a proposition to urban authorities (e.g., pollution regulators, environmental systems’ managers, urban landscape planners, environmental policy makers), shift from purely technocratic way of thinking to
thinking with nature
, by strategic greening of urban spaces, for long-term air pollution prevention and control measures. To that end, we offer a meta-analysis of recent (post 2005) global literature using four-stage PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach. We open the narrative by briefing about main pollutant filtration mechanisms by trees, followed by cognitive aspects of species selection (e.g., deciduous vs. evergreen, air pollution tolerance index, environmental stressors). Till date, most Indian studies on urban greenery mostly but focused on physiological aspects of trees. Here, we draw attention of urban authorities to an equally compelling, but yet less explored, aspect: design criteria, with reference to two most common urban configurations, namely, street canyon and open road. With pictorial depictions, we enumerate various categories of street canyons and discuss aspect ratio (building height to street width) and various wind flow regimes (isolated roughness, wake interface, and skimming), that the urban authorities should be cognizant about to maximize pollutant removal efficiency. For open road, we discuss vegetation barriers, with special emphasis on canopy porosity/density functions. In the final sections, we reflect on a potential systems’ thinking approach for on-ground implementation, comprising of revamping of urban forestry programs, research and development, community mobilization and stakeholder engagement, and strategic outreach. In addition, we emphasize on means to harness co-benefits of urban greenery, beyond mere pollutant removal, to garner support from urban residents’ communities. Last but not the least, we also caution the urban authorities about the undesirable outcomes of urban greenery that will require more process-level research.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10661-022-09808-w.
“…Moreover, that the response in marine reserve would be greater than the gear-restricted landing sites. Consequently, we asked how fishers responded to the curfews rules and how a potential pulsed decline and recovery of effort provided by the “covid Anthropause” influenced fisheries metrics of effort, CPUE, per area yield (CPUA), and daily revenue [46] . Fig.…”
“…With careful consideration, the Anthropause may serve as a widely resonating and effective metaphor that inspires conservation actions because its symbolic undertone “that humans have taken too much from nature and set the relationship out of balance” holds an appeal that crosses cultural boundaries ( Young, Kadykalo, Beaudoin, Hackenburg, & Cooke, 2021, p. 275 ). The Anthropause has made environmental solutions less abstract ( Young et al, 2021 ) and reduced the temporal psychological distance typically associated with environmental outcomes being in the future or for future generations ( Sparkman, Lee, & Macdonald, 2021 ). Albeit momentary, the Anthropause offered a taste of possibilities, by bringing ecological benefits and better life quality to the here and now ( Young et al, 2021 ).…”
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