Lewisham’s vegetation is absorbing significantly less pollution than the UK average – at a cost of more than £3 per person for Lewisham Council.
The figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show pollution absorbed by vegetation has a direct cost-saving benefit for local authorities, including healthcare costs.
The pollution removed by vegetation varied from 5,143 kg per square kilometre in Blackheath to zero in Lewisham Central and Lee.
The UK average is 5,619 kg per square kilometre.
Vegetation in parts of the borough absorb no pollution at all.
The amount saved in healthcare costs from vegetation in Lewisham was £12.06, compared to the UK average of £15.53.
This means there is less money saved in health damage costs per person in the area.
This includes the costs of lung and heart-related hospital admissions and premature deaths, according to the ONS.
By pollution, the ONS means carbon dioxide as well as harmful and cancer-causing substances such as nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, ammonia and sulphur dioxide
Trees in particular account for the highest volume of air pollutants absorbed by natural vegetation in the UK.
All regions with the highest valuations of air pollutants are in England, with the majority being in the south.
To see how much pollution vegetation absorbs in your area, visit the ONS’s interactive map at this website and enter your postcode here.
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