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High ozone levels and a quickly growing population are making it tough to implement regulations to reduce pollution, says a Cal State LA professor.
The quality of the air in California may be improving, but it's still dire.
That's according to the American Lung Association's recent "State of the Air 2017" report, which labeled the state and region a leader in air pollution, with the highest ozone levels.
The annual study ranks the cleanest and most polluted areas in the country by grading counties in the U.S. based on harmful recorded levels of ozone (smog) and particle pollution. The 2017 report used data collected from 2013 to 2015.
The top three regions in the country with the worst smog levels were Los Angeles-Long Beach; Bakersfield; and Fresno-Madera; Salinas, though, was recognized as one of the cleanest cities in the state and the country.
"The Los Angeles basin is exposed to the highest ozone levels in the country," explains Steve LaDochy, Ph.D., professor of geosciences and environment at California State University, Los Angeles, an expert in air pollution and climate. "It is getting better here, but it's still the worst."
The toughest CAFE standard in the country does not seem to have solved California's air pollution problem.
(Score: 2) by julian on Thursday June 22 2017, @11:49PM (2 children)
There are just so many automobiles here that even the reduction in emissions hasn't kept up with the growth in driving. As we replace petrol-burning cars with electric over the next 50 years the problem should resolve. But the Central Valley will still have to deal with particulate matter; dust from dry soil kicked up by thousands of pieces of ag equipment.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday June 23 2017, @12:26AM (1 child)
There are always going to be environmental problems here as long as greedy developers get their way and people keep encouraging assholes to move here.
As a Californian myself, I'm still flabbergasted by how many new monstrous condo and McMansion developments are still going up all over the place, and yet they tell us that there's a "drought" and that we have to "conserve water" and accept ever-increasing 10% yr/yr water rates. You know why people are letting their lawns die and replacing them with rocks and cacti? No, it's not because there's a water-shortage, it's a sacrifice for the sake of growth. Of course, they never anticipated that part of it when they signed their mortgage and HOA paperwork.
It's like in Metal Gear Solid 2 how the AI is describing "billions spent on weapons to humanely murder other humans," except that the dissonance here is that "our waterfree urinals save water, but the toilets next to them will sweep away 11 gallons of shit with a single flush."
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday June 23 2017, @01:50AM
California will expand as long as the salary vs housing cost is profitable comparable with other locations. If it would be profitable to set up shop elsewhere I'm sure it would be done. But no.. billionaires sets up shop where they feel comfortable which is usually a expensive and overcrowded area which is no problem for themselves but for most of their employees. Once their is talent, the next billionaire sets up the next shop and the housing cost and crowding is worsened.
This is instead of moving the business centers a bit outside of the crowded zones so people could build some living space for little money and without commuting. Areas which are low on essentials like water, electricity, food or decent climate is perhaps not really sustainable either as a location.
How are California cities in comparison with Dallas, Houston, Boston, New York etc? any rural locations that offers well paid tech jobs near big cities for the social life?