Air pollution in urban environments causes many premature deaths each year, and that number will grow as urban populations increase. MSI PI Anu Ramaswamy (Humphrey School of Public Affairs) led an international research team that recently published a study showing that using the heat generated from industrial processes for heating and cooling other buildings in a city. This re-use would result in fewer pollutants being generated by cities.
The study was published in the journal Nature Climate Change in September 2017 and can be read on the journal website: Urban Cross-Sector Actions for Carbon Mitigation With Local Health Co-Benefits in China. An article about this research also appears on the Office of the Vice President for Research Inquiry blog: A Breath of Fresher Air: Curbing Emissions to Improve Health.
Professor Ramaswamy uses MSI resources for her studies of the infrastructure footprints of urban areas.