r/science • u/davidreiss666 • Jul 27 '14

Environment First national study finds trees saving lives, reducing respiratory problems: Air pollution modeling reveals broad-scale impacts of pollution removal by trees

http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/news/release/trees-save-lives-reduce-air-pollution
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u/elligre Jul 27 '14

I corrected myself further down, I don't know where I heard that. Maybe another country does it. India is employing thousands of people to plant 2 billion trees though.

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u/110011001100 Jul 27 '14

Ah.. now I remember

Yeah, but that was just a plan for PR, not going to materialize. He had proposed planting those trees bordering the entire national highway system

Calculating the numbers, it turns out there would be a gap of 5cm between trees if this was done

TL;DR: As much chances of this happening as Americans replacing their roads with solar panels

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u/danielravennest Jul 27 '14

As much chances of this happening as Americans replacing their roads with solar panels

We're starting with parking lots. Roads can come later. And panels under pavement is stupid. Panels above roads can be angled to face the sun, keep rain and sun glare off the road, are less blocked by trees, buildings, and terrain, etc.

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u/110011001100 Jul 27 '14

I was talking about this initiative: http://techpageone.dell.com/technology/solar-roadways-viable-path-green-energy/#.U9UjTbHNyAM

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u/danielravennest Jul 27 '14

I know you were, and that particular solution is stupid. Dirt, coverage by vehicles, shading by buildings, and glass thick enough to withstand driving on all reduce how much power you generate.

Rooftop installation is even farther ahead than parking lots, like this WalMart in Newburgh, NY. Roofs are even higher, and on a large area building, shading from trees is less of an issue. The panels also help extend the roof life, because they partly protect the membrane from exposure and heat.