Power plants, manufacturing industries, and agricultural and mining-related operations are emitting hazardous chemicals into the air. And with more and more people relying on gas-powered cars as their primary method of transport, and thus, air pollution has become a major concern. The Clean Air Act was designed to counteract both natural and human activities that are potentially detrimental to the environment. These activities directly impact not only humans, but also our wildlife, global warming, and the depletion of the ozone layer. Clearly, clean air should not be taken for granted.  Similar to water, not all air is the same. There are distinct variations depending on where they are located in relation to power plants, big cities, etc. My experience with clean and unclean air resides in my visit to my home country of Bangladesh. While I was there for vacation one summer, I stayed in a myriad of different environments. The two that stuck with me the most was the city where my mom’s side of the family lived (Sylhet) and the countryside where my dad's side of the family lived (Barlekha). The city was smelly, to say the least. The air was heavy and dense; it was almost a pain to breathe. The area contained the most cars and generators, which burned through oil and left the smoke to rise and clog up the air. All this was in contrast to the countryside where the air was light and almost sweet. It was smooth when it was inhaled, and breathing almost became something to look forward to. There were no cars or factories for miles. There were generators, but they were vastly outnumbered by the amount of foliage, flora, and fauna. There were great expanses of trees and bushes as far as the eye could see. Although this may sound flowery, it is a critical dilemma in our world today. There are areas around the world, such as China, that is rife with nearly unbreathable air. And this issue isn’t region specific; this hurts all of humanity. If this global issue is so important to where it could lead to terracide, then what is being done to protect us?

 

One of several greenhouse gases that contribute to air pollution is Carbon Dioxide. This naturally occurring gas is primarily emitted due to human activity. To understand why Carbon Dioxide is such a big deal, we have to understand the sun, the atmosphere, and the greenhouse effect. First, the sun sends light, which is solar radiation to Earth. The radiation hits the planetary surface and warms the planet; however, some of it is deflected by the atmosphere. The Earth also sends heat, known as infrared rays, back up. The rays are absorbed and then re-emitted by the atmospheric gases, although some do escape. The gasses contribute to the greenhouse effect, which helps to keep the planet at its normal temperature. Carbon Dioxide has been added to the atmosphere at an increasing rate since the Industrial Revolution, enlarging the greenhouse effect, trapping heat and warming the planet. This increase can further be observed with the following relevant quantitative indicator:

 

 

United Nations Statistical Yearbook 2016 edition

CO2 emission estimates

Bangladesh

1975 - 4,870

2013 - 68,951

China

1975 - 1,145,607

2013 - 10,249,463

United States

1975 - 4,406,330

2013 - 5,186,168

 

 

Air pollution comes about from gases or smoke being released into the atmosphere. The atmosphere is essential in protecting the Earth and continues the existence of life. The sun produces intense heat during the day, and the opposite is true at night. The atmosphere protects against this, and regulates the earth’s temperature. If the atmosphere is breached in a large manner, these massive temperature swings would be deadly. The “pollution” part of “air pollution” refers to when the air becomes contaminated. This concerns the public on a prominent level. Respiratory infections, cardiovascular diseases, and lung cancer are just a few effects of air pollution on the human body. Pristine ancient ice samples help scientists gauge the atmosphere in the past and just how much pollution there used to be as opposed to how much there is now. For example, a 115,000 year old and 1,600-foot-long block of ice from Greenland was analyzed for greenhouse gasses in order to learn more about how warm spells in the future might boost climate change and accelerate Earth to her death. The future of Greenland and its ice depends on understanding how said ice responded to past increases in temperature. The international North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling Project (NEEM) set out to drill deep into the ice sheet to reach layers of ice set down  115,000-130,000 years ago. Today's rapid warming is driven not by cycles (warm and cold periods the Earth has cycled through over the past millions of years) but predominately by emissions of greenhouse gases. However, it had not always been that way. Long before modern man, the earth was still experiencing stages of temperature increase and global warming. Human activity (metallurgy, large-scale agriculture, etc.) started around 100 B.C. s The Han dynasty in China grew methane-producing bacteria in its expansive rice fields. Wetlands are a major area of concern with climate change simply because they are the most significant natural sources of methane in the atmosphere. Blacksmiths in the most advanced empires of the time produced greenhouse gasses from burning wood.  During the reign of these civilizations, emissions increased greatly. Now, this isn’t specific to just that one time period; it has happened other times before, and it is currently happening right now. As of 2013, the United States alone generates about 36 million tons of methane per year.

 

With all this unclean and unsafe materials in the air we breathe, there must be something done to curb it. The federal law titled “The Clean Air Act” provided funds for federal research in air pollution. It regulates air emissions that are produced from sources that are categorized under area, stationary and mobile. This law also gave the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the power to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), along with making the states develop state implementation plans (SIPs). For major sources, the EPA established emission standards that require the maximum degree of reduction in emissions of hazardous air pollutants. If a person knowingly falsifies any document required documents under the CAA, they can face two years in prison and/or fines. An example would be the Calumite Company LLC , who produce an additive used in the making of glass. On Thursday, September 18, 2014 they entered a plea of guilty in Hammond, Indiana. They were prosecuted for two Clean Air Act false statement violations. The policy originated in Congress where much of the basic structure was established in 1970. There were major revisions in 1977 and 1990 that are known as amendments. Now, the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 did quite a few things. First, regulatory programs had more power over the disposing of acid rain controlling toxic air pollutants. There were also provisions about stratospheric ozone protection, increased enforcement authority, and expanded research programs that were implemented. There were three important political actors, all who greatly affected both the implementation and enforcement of this new act. I will list them in descending order of importance. First, Edmund Muskie who served as the 58th United States Secretary of State. The nickname “Muskie Act" originates from the central role he played in drafting the bill. Second, Kenneth A. Roberts was a U.S. Representative from Alabama. He introduced the act in the House of Representatives. Third, William K. Reilly was the EPA administrator under George W. Bush. He characterized the passage of the 1990 Clean Air Act. He even went as far as to call it “his most notable accomplishment”. The writers behind the policy had both specific and broad goals in mind when they were pushing for it to become law. Although it is still in its early years, I can confidently say their goals have for the most part met the outcomes due to the fact that air pollution is a long waiting game. In the the Second Prospective Study of the Clean Air Act 1990-2020, it is concluded that there will be reductions in premature mortality. Simply enough, the environment is slowly improving. The rate at which the atmosphere is being deteriorated has slowed significantly enough to mark progress. The environment is getting better; however, it is being outpaced by the negative factors at play here. What we are doing is not enough; there must be more potent and permanent solutions.

 

It is undeniable that most of the American economy is based on fossil fuels in some way or another. There is a clear overdependence on oil, gas, and coal. These cheap commodities are turning over tremendous profits. There are fossil fuel interest lobbies and companies, such as the Koch brothers, that finance  Political Action Committees (PAC’s) and politicians directly. They find people who have the power within the government who are willing to sell their name and credentials in order to perpetuate fossil fuel interests. It is very difficult to get anything done in Congress because it's controlled by fossil fuel funded, climate change deniers that are paid to block anything that involves fixing the climate change issue. There are 131 climate deniers in Congress and 38 in Senate as of 2016. Among those are Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and that’s just to name a few. The actions of these companies have such a devastating impact on the world, and they are also the reason why the government isn't setting restrictions to prevent them from destroying the planet, just to have a bigger profit margin.

 

Now there is a somewhat of a silver lining. As mentioned before, the EPA is required to conduct scientific studies on the Clean Air Act’s impacts, both positive and negative, on the public health, economy, and environment of the United States. These studies have shown that between 1970 and 1990, the public health protection and environmental benefits of the Clean Air Act exceeded the costs of its programs by a large margin. And their first prospective study, the future of the act up until 2020, finds that the benefits once again exceed the costs. The benefits stem from the programs and standards required by the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.

 

In the time the Clean Air Act, America has proven that it can build its economy and create jobs while cutting pollution to protect the health of our citizens. Cleaner air has led to better health and productivity for American workers. There has also been a significant increase in savings on medical expenses for air pollution-related health problems. The benefits estimate exceeds costs of pollution control by a factor of more than 30 to one. Industries have had to imagine and implement innovative solutions to reduce pollution from power plants, factories, and cars, all the while creating new jobs and strengthening our economy. This forty-year-old policy has shown that it has been cutting dangerous pollution. But the more glaring statistics are that it has prevented more than 400,000 premature deaths, not to mention the hundreds of millions of cases of respiratory and cardiovascular disease that it either averted or helped...

 

Sources

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Ansari, Azadeh. "Air Pollution Deaths on the Rise, Study Predicts." CNN. Cable News Network, 16 Sept. 2015. Web.

"Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 04 Jan. 2017. Web.

"Clean Air Act Requirements and History." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 10 Jan. 2017. Web.

"The Clean Air Act." Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web.

"Evolution of the Clean Air Act." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 03 Jan. 2017. Web.

Nel, André. "Air Pollution-Related Illness: Effects of Particles." Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 06 May 2005. Web.

Stromberg, Joseph. "Air Pollution Has Been a Problem Since the Days of Ancient Rome." Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, 01 Feb. 2013. Web.