Everyone has the right to breathe healthy air

More than 4 in 10 people in the United States live in counties that have air with unhealthy levels of either ozone or particle pollution. That threat to the health of millions of Americans is why, for the past 16 years, the American Lung Association has released our “State of the Air” report. This year’s report shows encouraging progress as well as troubling challenges. Both underscore the urgent need to defend the Clean Air Act, the core protection for the air we all breathe. 

According to our 2015 nationwide report card, the best progress showed in the steady improvement in year-round particle pollution, thanks to the transition to cleaner diesel fuel and engines and steps taken to clean up power plants. Those steps also helped many cities reduce their ozone pollution.  However, dangerous short-term spikes in particle pollution increased in many cities, with some cities showing their worst problems since the report began.  And in some cities, ozone pollution got worse. 

Why the spikes in particles and continued high-ozone days? Two words – climate change. 

{mosads}Climate change creates the ideal conditions for both particle and ozone pollution. Warmer weather increases the risk of ozone pollution and makes cleaning it up even more challenging. Rising temperatures also increase droughts, wildfires and other sources of particle pollution.  While the report shows steady improvement, it also shows evidence that the changing climate will make it harder to keep up this trend and protect human health. 

The challenges to healthy air are growing. In recent years, some members of Congress have made repeated attempts to roll back, weaken and block critically important clean air protections required under the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act is one of the most successful public health laws, having saved millions of lives since it was passed by a bipartisan Congress in 1970.  Given that legacy, it is hard to understand by members of the current Congress are trying to undermine the very core of this critical public health law. 

Most recently, these attacks have been focused on the proposed Clean Power Plan and ozone standards. The nation needs a strong Clean Power Plan to limit carbon pollution from power plants because carbon pollution worsens climate change, and climate change threatens public health. The too-often overlooked news is the Clean Power Plan would also reduce the health burden of air pollution in America, preventing up to 4,000 premature deaths and 100,000 asthma attacks in the first year these strong steps are in place. 

The nation also needs an up-to-date ozone limit that follows the latest science in order to protect human health. Our current national standard for ozone pollution is out of date and too weak to protect our health. Strong standards will drive much-needed cleanup of ozone pollution across the nation, and give us accurate information about whether the air outside is safe to breathe.

Everyone has the right to breathe healthy air, especially the nearly 33 million people in the U.S. living with chronic lung diseases, like asthma and COPD. To protect their health as the Clean Air Act requires, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must adopt a strong final Clean Power Plan, as well establish a more protective ozone standard. 

With such clear evidence that our fight for healthy air is not over, I urge all members of Congress to reject pressure from polluters to block or delay progress. Weakening our clean air protections will only lead to more unhealthy air days, asthma attacks and emergency room visits, or worse. Our communities deserve better.

Wimmer is national president and CEO of the American Lung Association.