Air Pollution Although President Ronald

¶ … Air Pollution

Although President Ronald Reagan believed that "trees and plants were the chief causes of air pollution" (Grundmann 141), a growing body of evidence indicates that air pollution is a global public health threat that is caused by particulate matter being discharged through anthropomorphic, or manmade, activities (Woodruff and Parker 787). The research to date also indicates that air pollution continues to worsen in many parts of the world as people in emerging economies flock to cities, creating even more air pollution in the process. An important point made by McDougald (1999) is that air can be polluted indoors as well as outdoors. In this regard, McDouglad reports that, "Air pollution is a major worldwide economic and health problem. Some of the causes of air pollution include automobile emissions, industry, fuel combustion for heating, and the burning of solid wastes. Air pollution can occur both outdoors and indoors" (42). In many urban regions, the major sources of air pollution include internal motor vehicle operation, power generation using coal, various industrial processes, as well as wood burning in fireplaces, especially in regions with colder climates (Hughes 216).

Although all of these sources contribute to air pollution at different levels in different places, transportation and energy generation represent the major sources of the types of air pollution that adversely affects human health at the global level, particularly in densely populated urban settings (Glover 45). Given that the sources of air pollution are known, identifying remedies should therefore be a fairly straightforward matter; however, the global economy remains inextricably dependant on fossil fuels, and any preventive remedies will inevitably involve a subjective cost-benefit analysis as discussed further below.

2.

Philosophical Critique

From both a modern as well as classical Greek philosophical perspectives, identifying remedies to air pollution makes great business sense. On the one hand, the costs that have been involved in formulating effective responses to increasing air pollution levels have cost an enormous amount of taxpayer dollars (Andrews, 2008). In fact, during the period from 1970 to 1990, it is estimated that the country spent around $500 billion controlling air pollution (Andrews 394). On the other hand, though, Andrews also emphasizes that this was money well spent. According to Andrews, "While these costs are considerable, so are the health and welfare effects that they purchase. EPA has estimated that from 1970 to 1990 about $22.2 trillion in benefits flowed to the nation as a result of the environmental regulation of air pollution" (394). These priorities are congruent with Socrates' observation that, "Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued."

Unfortunately, despite these ambitious efforts, air pollution remains a significant public health threat in many parts of the country and the studies to date suggest that minorities and low-income families tend to suffer disproportionately from indoor air pollution. In this regard, Tibbetts reports that, "Researchers have gathered increasing evidence that the poor endure a disproportionate share of exposure to air pollutants in the built environment" (671). This trend is also congruent with Socrates' observation that, "If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be content to take their own and depart." The more affluent, though, are able to depart without taking their fair share of this social malady by living in superior housing and regions with less air pollution. Clearly, the economic benefits that have accrued to investments in controlling air pollution have not "trickled down" to the poor, but rather remain concentrated in the private sector where profits can be made from controlling air pollution in government-approved ways. After all, Socrates emphasized that, "Every action has its pleasures and its price." As the date when peak oil occurs, likely around mid-century, alternatives to this continuing dependence on fossil fuel resources will require a Manhattan Project-level investment by the public and private sectors to avoid growing air pollution and its concomitant adverse impacts on human health and climate change, and some recommendations to this end are presented below.

3.

Recommendation

Complex problems require complex solutions, and developing effective preventions to air pollution is no exception. Nevertheless, in a "follow-the-money" analysis, it is clear that the majority of the investments in administering and controlling air pollution to date have been worthwhile, but these investments have not translated into economic incentives for the poor. Even some modest reductions in the causes of air pollution over time, though, can have an enormous cumulative effect in preventing further pollution. Therefore, it is recommended that the federal government provide low-income taxpayers with the monetary incentives needed to invest in alternative energy resources such as solar-powered water heaters that such as those that are required of all citizens in Israel (Katsioloudis, Bondi and Deal 12). These initiatives should provide economic incentives for low-income taxpayers as well as minority-owned enterprises that participate in the manufacture or distribution of these products.

4.

Organization/Expert Reaction