Will recent NYC smog create a bigger conversation around air pollution and climate change?
Despite New York’s recent efforts and initiatives in becoming a cleaner city, many New Yorkers were negatively impacted by the visible orange air pollution that hung over the city for days. In a recent article for Göteborgs-Posten, Amy Jaffe, Director of the NYU SPS Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab, discussed the alarming smog that lingered in NYC for days after recent wildfires in Canada. Jaffe points out that although this may have been new and alarming to New Yorkers, this is an everyday reality for other cities like Jakarta or Beijing.
From the article:
There will not be any major shift in public opinion, because politics around climate change is incredibly polarized in the US. […] New York has had impressive momentum in terms of improving air quality in recent years, for example measuring and communicating air quality to its residents. But the work to improve can be quickly eliminated if pollution gets there from other places, as now. […] Every year seven million people die due to air pollution and we must accelerate the process towards better air quality around the world.
