Air Pollution

Air pollution is the discharge of pollutants into the atmosphere that are harmful to human health and the environment as a whole. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution causes over seven million deaths worldwide each year. Nine out of ten people today breathe air that exceeds the WHO's pollution guideline levels, with those in low- and middle-income nations suffering the most. The Clean Air Act, enacted in 1970, empowers the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect public health by regulating the emissions of certain dangerous air pollutants.

"Most air pollution is caused by energy usage and production," says John Walke, head of the NRDC's Climate and Clean Energy program. "The combustion of fossil fuels emits gases and pollutants into the atmosphere." And, in a particularly devastating feedback cycle, air pollution not only contributes to but also exacerbates climate change. "Air pollution in the form of carbon dioxide and methane boosts the temperature of the Earth," adds Walke. "Another kind of air pollution, smog, is then exacerbated by the increased heat, developing when the weather is warmer and there is more UV light." Climate change also increases the production of allergenic air pollutants such as mold (due to wet conditions produced by harsh weather and greater floods) and pollen (because to increased pollen production).

"Thanks to the Clean Air Act, we've made significant progress in improving air quality in the United States over the last 50 years," says Kim Knowlton, senior scientist and deputy director of the NRDC Science Center. "However, climate change will make it more difficult to achieve pollution rules established to safeguard public health in the future."

#blurt #blurtlife #airpollution #stop #nature #pollutions #blog #earth