GAP leader presented at the Climate Health Initiative (CHI) webinar
Professor Ane Johannessen discussed air pollution, greenness, and respiratory diseases at CHI webinar #6.
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On 21 March 2025, Professor Ane Johannessen, leader of the Greenness, Air Pollution, and health (GAP) research group, presented the group’s latest findings at the Climate Health Initiative (CHI) webinar. The GAP research, based on the extensive 30-year Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) study, delved into the long-term and intergenerational effects of air pollution and greenness on respiratory health, affecting both adults and their offspring.
During an engaging Q&A session, Professor Johannessen addressed concerns including policy implications, social justice concerns related to environmental exposures, and the methodological challenges of current greenness measurement.
She emphasized the necessity of enhancing air pollution control efforts and highlighted the significant knowledge gaps in greenness research. Professor Johannessen called for future studies to conduct a comprehensive assessment of greenness, pointing out the limitations of current methods like the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which primarily measures the quantity of vegetation and does not account for its quality or usability.