Air pollution policy should focus on the most vulnerable people, not just the most polluted places
A large number of studies have documented the fact that acute air pollution exposure harms human health, even in places where ambient pollution levels are generally low (e.g. Ward 2015, Knittel et al. 2016, Schlenker and Walker 2016, Deryugina et al. 2019). Growing understanding of such harms suggests that further reducing air pollution would substantially improve human health and well-being. The traditional regulatory approach to improving air quality targets regions with high levels of air pollution. For example, the US Clean Air Act requires “non-attainment” areas that fail to meet m...
Source: voxeu.org