Since our founding in 1971, we’ve seen remarkable strides in clean air. Gone are the days when you couldn’t see the mountains if you lived next to them, when your eyes burned and when you couldn’t go outside. The only thing is — our air is still very, very bad. The result are 19,000 premature deaths related to air pollution in California every year.
And of course there is also climate change…
No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change. — President Barack Obama
Consider The Following:
- The American Lung Association lists 7 California cities among the top 15 most polluted in the nation.
- Los Angeles still ranks as the dirtiest city by ozone in the entire country.
- There are 10 Californian counties that rank within the top 25 counties in the US for most polluted by short-term particle pollution.
- It costs us $3 billion per year in economic losses from health complications causes by air pollution in the Central Valley alone.
- California’s landmark pollution trading program generated $800 million since 2014.
- Climate change will have dramatic local effects on water supply, sea level rise and snowpack.
- Less than 2% of transportation funding is dedicated to alternative transportation infrastructure improvements, such as bike lanes and public transit investments.
- More than 16,000 Americans die from lung cancer every year, even though they’ve never smoked!
- Air pollution causes 19,000 premature deaths each year in the US.
- Air pollution is responsible for one million school absences annually in California.
- Children living in highly polluted areas operate at 80% or less in lung capacity.
- Incidents of Asthma have increased by 75% in the United States since 1980.
