If current global trends are correct, in 2025, around 41 million people will die from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and serious mental illnesses, which account for about 74 percent of all deaths globally. Despite significant advances in medicine in recent decades, the number of deaths from NCDs continues to increase.
One of the main factors of the increase in NCDs is urbanization: The research clearly shows that people living in urban areas without access to green spaces have a higher incidence of NCDs. Taking into account that by 2050, two out of three people Chances are they live in cities, these trends are extremely worrying.
On the other hand, a series of recent population-level studies in cities around the world indicate that people who live in greener areas Not only do they have a lower rate of NCDs, but they also have better physical and physical conditions. mental health. This relationship remains statistically strong regardless of the individual’s socioeconomic status, age, or gender. In fact, the evidence for this association is so strong that, in 2022, 196 countries in the United Nations Conference of the Parties on Biological Diversity signed an international treaty, part of which included committing to significantly increase urban green spaces by 2030.
What is it about green spaces that offers resistance to NCDs? Greater opportunities for exercise, cleaner air and less heat stress are all reasons that have been touted, with evidence supporting some role for urban vegetation in these aspects.
Importantly, there is also solid scientific evidence showing that when we interact directly with nature, biochemical pathways are activated in our bodies that result in important beneficial health impacts. This research topic began with a group of Japanese scientists trying to determine the true benefits of forest bathing.shinrin-yoku. The evidence they found was so compelling that today, in Japan, instead of medications, patients with certain NCDs are prescribed medications. spend time sitting in the woods.
The good news is that we can obtain similar health benefits in urban green spaces and with indoor vegetation. Clinical experiments show that something as simple as having a unscented rose vase on your desk, for example, can significantly reduce your blood pressure and provide you with physiological and psychological calm. So can having leafy plants in your home and office, particularly those with green and yellow foliage.