New Research Suggests Plants Might Be Contributing to the Pollution Problem

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00:00While car emissions are declining in California, an unexpected culprit could be to blame for

00:05air pollution in Los Angeles — trees.

00:08A new study from UC Berkeley published in Science magazine finds air quality there has

00:13stagnated since about 2010.

00:15Heat, droughts, and pests put stress on plants, causing them to release volatile organic compounds,

00:21otherwise known as VOCs.

00:23Those VOCs then react with nitrogen oxide from car emissions, which can create ozone

00:29and particulate matter.

00:30The warmer it is, the worse it gets.

00:33The study found emissions will need to drop another 50 percent to minimize ozone pollution

00:38at high temperatures.

00:39Part of the problem are the types of plants used in LA, like eucalyptus trees and jacaranda

00:44trees, which according to the study, emit a lot of VOCs.