"We may complain about various car taxes and environmental regulations, but they have also brought clear benefits — the air has become much cleaner," University of Tartu professor of environmental health Hans Orru said on an ERR broadcast.

Orru bases his assessment on a study recently published in the journal Environmental Research.

Together with Triin Veber and international colleagues, Orru examined residents of seven Northern European cities followed since the early 1990s. Based on the home addresses of more than 16,000 adults, researchers reconstructed detailed air pollution indicators and analyzed the greenness of their living environments using satellite imagery.

To assess long-term health effects and mortality, the team combined residence-based environmental data with risk estimates from previous scientific studies and linked them to overall city mortality statistics.

Concentrations of pollutants declined between 1990 and 2010 in most of the cities included in the study. The sharpest decrease was seen in coarse particulate matter, or PM10, which fell by an average of 4.4 micrograms per cubic meter. Levels of finer particles, or PM2.5, and nitrogen dioxide also decreased.

These particles, invisible to the human eye, penetrate deep into the lungs and the bloodstream. Long-term exposure makes people more susceptible to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, among other things.

According to the analysis, cleaner air helped save hundreds of lives each year in cities across Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Estonia. "What is especially positive about this study is that we can already see real benefits in health data. [...] In Tartu, for example, we can talk about a reduction of roughly 10 early deaths," Orru said.

Alongside air quality, researchers assessed the health impact of urban nature. Using satellite data, they calculated the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index around each participant's home address, examining vegetation density within a 300-meter radius. "With satellites, it's possible to determine where green areas are located and how intensive they are," Orru explained. The models helped clarify whether residents were routinely exposed to heavy traffic and wood-burning heating, or whether their homes were closer to parks.

Parks located close to people's homes strongly influence everyday habits. They provide opportunities for physical activity and relaxation, supporting physical and mental health. "If you have to take a bus to reach a green area, you don't know whether you'll feel like going today," Orru noted. According to the study, accessible parks prevented around 1,000 deaths over a 20-year period.

In addition to cleaner air, residents' life expectancy would increase if municipalities systematically developed green spaces. Based on World Health Organization recommendations, every person should live near a green area of at least half a hectare. Support is growing among scientists for the idea that everyone should be able to see at least three trees from their home, live within 300 meters of a park and that tree canopy coverage in residential areas should be at least 30 percent.

Unfortunately, many cities face strong development pressure. In Tartu, for example, the future of Keskpark and Sanatooriumi Park is under scrutiny, as new buildings are planned there. "It's obvious that if you remove a park and build a structure exactly the same size as the current park, the amount of green space decreases," Orru added. Each new development should therefore seek a balance between the built environment and natural spaces.

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