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CrowdScience

Can Trees Help us Fight Air Pollution?

CrowdScience

BBC

Science

4.81K Ratings

🗓️ 4 March 2017

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Trees take in carbon dioxide but they also convert some of the toxic gases in our air. How much help can trees give us in fighting air pollution and could where we plant them make an even bigger difference? Crowdscience reports from the side of some busy roads on how canopy coverage may be part of the answer. At a lab in Louisiana one scientist is putting oak leaves through their paces to find out how effective they are at cleaning our air.

Do you have a question we can turn into a programme? Email us at crowdscience@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producer: Marijke Peters

(Image: Trees in a forest Credit: Julian Stratenschulte/Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're about to listen to a BBC podcast and maybe it's when I had a hand in.

0:04.0

I'm Tammy Walker and I produce podcasts for the BBC.

0:08.0

My role is to give new and diverse creators a voice with the opportunity to build a career.

0:12.0

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0:14.4

You start with just a good idea, but then you have the space to see where it goes.

0:18.4

And doing that at the BBC means we can really run with the best stories

0:21.9

while developing the most unique audio talent.

0:24.8

So if you like what you hear, why not check out the huge range of podcast we've got on BBC

0:29.1

Sounds. Right, it is Saturday morning. We are out in freezing cold West London next to a

0:42.2

motorway on a kind of patch of scrub land because my

0:46.2

producer Maraker told me to and character building we're going to plant some

0:51.6

trees We're going to plant some trees.

0:59.0

You're listening to the Crowd Science Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Marnie Chasterton.

1:01.0

And that was a community event to plant 10,000 saplings in one day organized by trees for cities.

1:08.0

All right, let's get you a spade.

1:12.0

Come on morning, put your back into it.

1:14.0

Do you want to go?

1:19.0

Well, I'm okay, thanks.

1:20.0

Look, wherever you put this, it's hitting rock.

1:24.0

Maybe we should dig in a different spot.

1:26.0

Oh, this is better.

1:28.0

Okay, start again.

...

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