Where to Plant Trees? Designing Net-Zero Industrial Landscapes that Promote Public Health

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Sustainability Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Holistic sustainability strategies require integrating techno-ecological systems.
• Conventional approaches often overlook public health impacts of environmental strategies.
• Ecosystem coservices are crucial for achieving carbon neutrality and net-positive industries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a computational sustainable design framework integrating ecosystem coservices.
• To explicitly model and evaluate public health impacts of land-based pollution mitigation.
• To guide prioritization of nature-based solutions for climate mitigation and local health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Developed an integrated optimization framework for techno-ecological systems.
• Modeled public-health impacts of land-use changes (LUCs) for pollution mitigation.
• Compared a health-based social benefit approach with conventional methods using a power generation case study.

Main Results:

• Identified optimal LUCs for reducing pollutant exposure and health incidences.
• Demonstrated that 97% of averted mortalities can be lost between best- and worst-case scenarios based on LUCs.
• Showcased substantial co-benefits for public health often overlooked in carbon-centric analyses.

Conclusions:

• Cost-benefit analyses of LUCs focused solely on carbon uptake miss significant public health improvement opportunities.
• The proposed framework enhances economic value for ecological restoration.
• Supports informed investment in nature-based strategies delivering climate, ecosystem, and community benefits.