A groundbreaking study on the health impact of greenness and mortality, conducted by Valerio Giannico and Rodolfo Sardone with support from the MISTRAL and CALLIOPE projects, has been published in Nature Communications (1)
. This research highlights the significant benefits of green spaces on human health, a topic that has long been challenging for epidemiologists to quantify.
In this health impact assessment, the authors utilized satellite data to estimate the number of preventable deaths across Italy’s 49 million adult population by increasing residential greenness. The exposure was measured using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) at a 10-meter resolution within a 300-meter radius from homes in 7,904 municipalities.
The study’s findings are remarkable. By achieving the level of residential greenness currently experienced by the top 25% of the population nationwide, the researchers estimate that a total of 28,433 (95% confidence interval: 21,400–42,350) deaths and 279,324 (210,247–415,980) years of life lost could have been prevented in Italy in 2022. This represents 5% of the total mortality burden in the considered municipalities.
These results underscore the critical need for strong action to increase the amount and accessibility of green spaces in all human settlements. More green means fewer deaths, making it imperative for policymakers to prioritize greening initiatives as a strategic component of public health and urban planning.
For more details, you can read the full study here (1)
1: Nature Communications, “Health impact assessment on greenness and mortality,” Valerio Giannico and Rodolfo Sardone, 2024 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-54388-7.).