Beijing's isoprene-emitting trees highlight ozone risks in greener, hotter cities

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Amid current heat waves, urban greening is once again moving to the center of public debate. Greener cities are generally expected to have cleaner air because trees capture airborne particles, absorb gaseous pollutants and cool urban neighborhoods. But trees also emit biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) that, in the presence of sunlight and nitrogen oxides (NOx), can contribute to ground-level ozone formation.