{"id":3178,"date":"2022-09-08T15:06:19","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T15:06:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/global-clean-air\/?p=3178"},"modified":"2022-09-08T15:06:19","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T15:06:19","slug":"historic-investments-in-air-quality-monitoring-can-give-communities-a-voice-in-clean-air-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/global-clean-air\/2022\/09\/08\/historic-investments-in-air-quality-monitoring-can-give-communities-a-voice-in-clean-air-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic investments in air quality monitoring can give communities a voice in clean air solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United Nations General Assembly recently declared that access to clean air and a healthy environment is a <\/span>universal human right,<\/span><\/a> but far too many people live in communities overburdened by pollution. Together, new legislation and a historic investment in clean air present a tremendous opportunity to reduce pollution and improve public health in the U.S. And for the first time, communities have an opportunity to direct their tax dollars to local projects that can improve air quality.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We have hotspots when it comes to air quality \u2013 and they matter\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Air pollution can vary across communities–even from block to block–and additional monitoring can shine a light on pollution hotspots.<\/span> More data is needed to understand where air pollution comes from, who it’s impacting and who’s responsible for it. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Exposure to air pollution is not equally experienced, and the health harms fall most heavily on Black and Latino communities. The discriminatory practice of <\/span>redlining<\/span><\/a>, for example, played a role in determining land use throughout cities. Neighborhoods falsely labeled \u201cdefinitely declining\u201d or \u201chazardous\u201d in the 1930s then experienced decades of depressed property values, which allowed polluters to move in.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Air pollution exposure leads to <\/span>negative health impacts<\/span><\/a> at every stage of life.<\/span> New satellite analysis<\/span><\/a> shows places where monitoring isn\u2019t reflecting health burdens, and more data is urgently needed to better understand who is being impacted by air pollution. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New legislation and investments in air quality<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The newly passed Inflation Reduction Act includes some powerful provisions that could <\/span>deliver cleaner air to communities<\/span><\/a>, as well as strengthen the impact of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Inflation Reduction Act includes an historic $296m investment in air monitoring including:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n