Nearly 40% of people in the US live with unhealthy air pollution, report says | CNN

A real serious concern

More people across the United States – nearly 40% – are living in places with unhealthy levels of polluted air, according to a new report from the American Lung Association.

The number of people living with levels of air pollution that can significantly affect their health climbed from about 119 million in last year’s data to 131 million in the current data, according to the “State of the Air” report released Wednesday.

Extreme heat, drought and wildfires are among the factors that have contributed to a rise in deadly air pollution, especially in the Western part of the country, said Katherine Pruitt, author of the report and senior director of the American Lung Association’s Nationwide Clean Air Policy.

“The air pollution produced by wildfire smoke is getting worse every year,” Pruitt said. “Climate change is contributing to that situation, and those wildfires are a very serious threat to our health.”

In 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act into law, and since then, emissions of outdoor air pollutants have dropped 78%, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

“But there still are way too many people breathing unhealthy air,” Pruitt said, adding that since the American Lung Association launched its annual “State of the Air” report in 2000, she has seen a shift in air pollution becoming a growing problem in the West.

“Our cars are cleaner. Our fuels are cleaner. Most of the dirtiest coal-fired power plants have fortunately been shut down, and industry is cleaner. So that’s cleaned up a lot of the traditional sources of pollution in the East, in the more industrial parts of the Upper Midwest and the Northeast. That same cleanup has been done in Western states as well, but at the same time, the Western states have been growing rapidly,” Pruitt said.

“The amount of oil and gas extraction that happens in the West has increased, which produces a lot of emissions,” she said. “And they are suffering, first, from the impacts of climate change and wildfire. So a lot of that geographic shift you’re seeing, particularly with particle pollution, is related to wildfire smoke.”

Broad efforts are needed

The new report highlights the critical impact that air pollution has on public health, with an emphasis on ozone, but ranking cities based on air pollution may not be that helpful because it requires broader state, national and global efforts to tackle air pollution, said Tarik Benmarhnia, an air pollution and wildfire researcher at the University of California, San Diego, who did not work on the new report.

“Ozone is extremely difficult to intervene on. Once it’s there, it’s too late. But what we can eventually do of course is reduce the precursors, which at the end of the day would be very beneficial – reducing emission from traffic, for example,” Benmarhnia said, adding that some communities have been more affected by ozone air pollution than others.

“While we are not all equal and some communities may need way more investment in terms of air pollution abatement – because the potential benefits could be substantial as opposed to other communities – I think it would be interesting in the future to try to come up with some metrics that emphasize how proportionate efforts can be implemented to

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs Addressed

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 15: Life on Land

Targets Identified

1. Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
2. Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
3. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
4. Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

Indicators

• Indicator for Target 3.9: Number of deaths and illnesses attributed to air pollution.
• Indicator for Target 11.6: Proportion of urban population living in slums or informal settlements.
• Indicator for Target 13.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
• Indicator for Target 15.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area.

Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to the following SDGs:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – The article discusses the impact of air pollution on public health.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – The article mentions the need to tackle air pollution at broader state, national, and global levels.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – The article highlights the contribution of climate change to worsening air pollution.
• SDG 15: Life on Land – The article mentions the impact of wildfires on air pollution and the need for conservation and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the following targets can be identified:

1. Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
2. Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
3. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
4. Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article mentions or implies the following indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Indicator for Target 3.9: Number of deaths and illnesses attributed to air pollution – The article highlights the increase in the number of people living in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution and the impact of particle pollution on health.
• Indicator for Target 11.6: Proportion of urban population living in slums or informal settlements – The article mentions the need for broader efforts at state, national, and global levels to tackle air pollution.
• Indicator for Target 13.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population – The article mentions the impact of extreme heat, drought, and wildfires on air pollution.
• Indicator for Target 15.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area – The article mentions the contribution of wildfires to air pollution and the need for conservation and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: cnn.com

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