Air Pollution: What Would It Take to Have a Clean Air World?

According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, nearly 4.2 million people die every year as a result of air pollution. In order to create a world with “clean air”, it is clearly going to take a concerted effort from all nations on Earth.

But is it even possible to have a “clean air world?” What kind of effort would it take to achieve a pollution-free society?

In this article, we’ll take a look at what efforts have been made toward reducing air pollution levels for human health, and attempt to determine what specific steps it would take to have a clean air world.

Current Efforts Toward Combating Air Pollution

In 1970, the United States Passed the Clean Air Act. This act served as a major step toward combating air pollution and has led to a significant improvement in air quality in the past 50+ years.

Furthermore, EPA regulations on new vehicles, engines, and cleaner fuels have led to a nearly 99% improvement in emissions. This fact is even more impressive when compared alongside the annual miles traveled by the average American, which has increased steadily over the past few decades.

Outside of the U.S., worldwide efforts toward addressing pollution include the United Nations Environment Programme on “Preventing and reducing air pollution to improve global air quality”. Additionally, in December of 2019, the U.N. adopted a resolution for an “International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies”.

Beyond EPA requirements and government intervention around the world, many companies have pledged (through long-term and short-term efforts, such as California Clean Air Day) to implement better environmental practices in their business operations. Many large retailers have even claimed that they will achieve net-zero emissions within impressive timelines.

Unfortunately, it appears through closer observation that many of these companies’ goals are unrealistic and are unlikely to be achieved through the plans they currently have in place.

Furthermore, pollution has been linked to many respiratory diseases. For example, some issues affecting the cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and reproductive systems have been tied to air pollution. With improved air quality, the incidence of these diseases may decrease considerably. This is the goal of many environmental and health-focused groups.

Perhaps one of the most important pieces of the “clean air puzzle” is individual understanding of the effects of pollution and support of the issue. In just the last few years, the number of consumers who value eco-friendly products is on the rise. This trend, more than anything, may force companies to reconsider their business strategies to maintain customer loyalty.

Future Efforts Needed to Improve Air Quality

As far as improved indoor air quality is concerned, the EPA recommends three main steps:

1. Control and Contain Sources of Indoor Air Pollution.
2. Improving Indoor Ventilation by Increasing the Flow of Outdoor Air into the Home.
3. Using Air Cleaners.

While each of these steps may seem simple, they can profoundly affect the quality of air in an enclosed space.

When it comes to improving the quality of outdoor air, there are quite a few steps we can all take as individuals and as societies to achieve this goal:

• Choosing Better Transportation Options. The Department of Transportation recommends several measures to cut down transportation-related pollution. These include developing better public transportation options, encouraging travel by bike or foot, and purchasing vehicles with more “green” features in place.
• Eating Less Meat. A recent study out of China has claimed that nearly 75,000 deaths due to air pollution could be prevented in the country if every citizen consumed less meat. While meat is a staple of many diets throughout the world, our ever-expanding population and desire for meat have led to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the processing of animal products increases ammonia pollution. The results of this study bear further investigation. However, similar claims have been made about the environmental cost of meat consumption for years.
• Shopping and Sourcing Locally. We live in an interconnected world, and our global supply chains are essential to our continued way of life. However, whenever possible, shopping and sourcing materials/ingredients locally can go a long way in reducing industrial sources of air pollutants related to the transport of said goods.

Conclusion

We’ve come a long way in our quest towards achieving a clean air world. Nowadays, more people than ever are concerned about the state of the environment. As a result, governments and corporations worldwide are doing their best to find solutions to our current environmental woes.

But while we’ve done well, we still have a long way to go. We all need to do a lot more. It will likely take us making some significant sacrifices in terms of convenience in order to achieve a clean air world.