From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):
How much do you really know about the air quality where you live?
In 2018, 108 million Americans experienced more than 100 days of degraded air quality in both urban and rural areas.
What is the trouble in our air?
Each year, millions of Americans suffer from adverse health impacts linked to air pollution — including respiratory illness, heart attack, stroke, cancer and mental health problems. In 2018 alone, 108 million Americans lived in areas that experienced more than 100 days of degraded air quality, and another 157 million lived in areas that faced 31 to 100 days of elevated ozone or particulate pollution.
The pollution is severe all across the country, with the top 10 most populated areas with major air pollution being in California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Colorado and Michigan.
Will our air get worse?
In short, yes, global warming will make it worse. Climate change will worsen air pollution as higher temperatures result in increased ozone; changing wind patterns may increase the number of days with stagnant air, keeping air pollution in place; dryer conditions will result in an increase in number and severity of droughts and wildfires, which increase dust and smoke pollution respectively.
What are we doing for clean air?
Many solutions that will address climate change will also improve air quality. That’s why we’re working at the federal, state and local level to urge officials to implement policies that will:
Reduce emissions from transportation, the largest source of global warming pollution. After two years of advocacy, our partner Environment New Jersey helped New Jersey become the East Coast leader in electrifying its transit with legislation that sets nation-leading goals for getting electric vehicles on the road.
Move the country away from fossil fuels, and toward clean, renewable energy. Our network is working across the country to gain city and statewide commitments to renewable energy. And our national network has won in states such as California, Washington, New Mexico and Maine.
Strengthen and strongly enforce emission and air quality standards. When the Trump administration rolled back the national Clean Car standards and blocked states from setting their own tough standards, our partners filed suit, because the move isn’t just reckless, it’s illegal.
Learn more:
States have the power to lead the nation to a cleaner future and protect younger generations from dirty air. Some are electrifying transit, some are turning to clean energy, and some have joined forces to tackle air pollution from power plants. Read the full report and see how Pennsylvania can take action toward cleaner air.
Leave a Reply