Americans' Efforts Against Air Pollution: What's Being Done?

Despite progress in reducing air pollution in the United States since 1970, nearly half of Americans are still breathing in unsafe levels of air pollutants, according to a 2025 report by the American Lung Association. The report found that 156 million people live in areas with unhealthy levels of soot, smog, ozone, or particle pollution, which can cause serious health issues including asthma, heart attacks, strokes, and preterm births. Climate change-fuelled extreme heat and wildfires, as well as policy rollbacks, are contributing to this issue. So, what are people in America doing to tackle air pollution?

The Clean Air Act and Clean Power Plan

The Clean Air Act is the United States' fundamental air pollution law. Under the Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the Clean Power Plan (CPP) in 2015 to limit carbon emissions from future and existing fossil-fuelled power plants, the largest source of carbon pollution in the country. The CPP set flexible and achievable standards that gave each state the opportunity to design its own most cost-effective path toward cleaner energy sources.

The CPP established national carbon dioxide emissions performance rates for existing coal- and gas-fired power plants. Each state then had the opportunity to adopt its own plan, including enforceable emissions limits, for its coal and gas plants. The CPP described multiple ways that states could structure their plans and emissions limits. The CPP also included a backstop reliability provision to protect the grid in case of unpredictable emergency events, while keeping the states on track to meet their final targets.

Public engagement was essential throughout the development of the CPP, and the EPA required that states demonstrate how they are actively engaging with communities, particularly low-income communities, minority communities, and tribal communities, as part of their public participation process in the formulation of state plans.

The CPP was projected to contribute significant pollution reductions, resulting in important benefits. By 2030, it was projected that the CPP would cut the electric sector's carbon pollution by 32% nationally, relative to 2005 levels, and emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from power plants would be 90% and 72% lower, respectively. This would result in thousands of avoided premature deaths and hospitalizations in 2030 and every year beyond.

In 2017, President Trump signed an executive order directing the EPA to review the CPP, and in 2019, the Trump administration signed a final rule doing away with the CPP and putting in place the Affordable Clean Energy rule. Environmentalists are fighting the administration's power plant regulation rollbacks, and in 2020, several environmental groups and states filed legal briefs to attempt to fight the administration's attempt to loosen emission standards. In 2021, a federal court ruled that the Affordable Clean Energy rule violated the Clean Air Act, leaving the Biden administration to make a new rule.

Environmental education

In the context of air pollution in the United States, environmental education plays a crucial role in empowering individuals to take action and address this pressing issue. The Clean Air Act, implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has made significant progress in reducing harmful emissions from transportation, power plants, and manufacturing since 1970. However, the impacts of climate change, such as wildfires and extreme heat, are presenting new challenges in maintaining air quality.

To address these emerging challenges, environmental education can help Americans understand the importance of reducing their emissions and provide them with the knowledge to make more sustainable choices. For example, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) offers programs for businesses, cities, nonprofits, and communities to reduce air pollution. They promote initiatives such as driving less, carpooling, using electric vehicles, and proper waste disposal to minimize air pollution.

Additionally, educational initiatives can target specific sectors, such as the National Clean Diesel Campaign, which aims to reduce diesel emissions for existing engines, or Clean School Bus USA, which seeks to minimize pollution from school buses. By partnering with local businesses, city offices, and school districts, individuals can direct their communities toward programs that reduce air pollution and foster sustainability.

Furthermore, environmental education can help raise awareness about the unequal distribution of air pollution's impacts. Research has shown that communities of color are disproportionately exposed to unhealthy air and are more vulnerable to its effects due to higher rates of asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. By recognizing these disparities, educational efforts can promote environmental justice and encourage the development of solutions that protect the health and well-being of all Americans, regardless of their racial or ethnic background.

Public health and environmental advocacy

The ALA report also underscores the disproportionate impact of air pollution on communities of color. People of color are more likely to reside in areas with poor air quality and are at a higher risk of developing health issues such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. This disparity is further aggravated by the Trump administration's rollbacks of environmental regulations and attacks on environmental justice, which have weakened the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and left communities more vulnerable to air pollution.

To address these challenges, public health and environmental advocates have continued to push for stronger policies and regulations. The Clean Air Act, for example, has been successful in reducing emissions from transportation, power plants, and manufacturing over the years. However, the changing climate and emerging sources of pollution, such as wildfires and heatwaves, are creating new obstacles. The EPA, despite facing staffing and funding cuts, has implemented initiatives like the Clean Power Plan, which aims to reduce carbon pollution from power plants while maintaining energy reliability and affordability.

Additionally, the EPA has focused on reducing toxic emissions, with significant reductions in national emissions of air toxics. Their standards and regulations have targeted major emission sources, including industrial facilities and transportation hubs, to minimize the public health risks associated with air pollution. The National Clean Diesel Campaign, Clean School Bus USA, and the SmartWay Transport Partnership are examples of EPA initiatives that aim to reduce emissions and promote cleaner transportation options.

Overall, public health and environmental advocacy efforts in the United States have been crucial in raising awareness, influencing policies, and promoting individual actions to tackle air pollution. Despite the challenges posed by a changing climate and regressive policies, these advocates remain committed to protecting the health and well-being of communities across the nation.

Environmental racism

Despite dramatic progress in cleaning the air since 1970, air pollution in the United States continues to harm people's health and the environment. The Clean Air Act has been able to reduce harmful emissions from transportation, power plants, and manufacturing. However, the changing climate is making it harder to maintain this progress.

Racial minorities in the United States are disproportionately affected by air pollution. According to the 2023 State of the Air report by the American Lung Association (ALA), people of colour are 61% more likely than white people to live in a county with a failing grade in at least one of the three pollution categories: ozone, year-round particle pollution, and short-term particle pollution. They are also three times more likely to live in a county that fails in all three categories. Latino Americans are the most impacted, being three times more likely to be breathing in toxic air pollutants.

Research has shown that communities of colour are disproportionately exposed to unhealthy air and are also more likely to be living with one or more chronic conditions that make them more vulnerable to air pollution, including asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. Although people of colour make up 41.2% of the overall population of the US, they are 50.2% of the people living in a county with at least one failing grade.

The EPA was created in 1970 by the Nixon government amid increasing protests over unchecked industrial expansion by public health and environmental advocates, as well as communities bearing the brunt of air, water, and land pollution. The Trump administration has made dismantling climate and environmental regulations a top priority, and has taken steps to gut the EPA by ordering mass layoffs and funding freezes. Environmental justice has come under attack, with Trump conflating efforts to address decades of environmental racism that led to poor air quality from heavy industry, landfills, and highways being deliberately located in communities of colour.

The American Lung Association's 2025 report found that 156.1 million people are living in places that get failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. This is nearly 25 million more people breathing unhealthy air compared to the previous year's report and is the highest number in the last ten years.

Cities with the worst air pollution include Long Beach in Los Angeles County, Visalia, Bakersfield-Delano, Mesa, and Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran.

Air pollution and health

Air pollution is a pressing issue in the United States, with far-reaching consequences for public health. The American Lung Association's (ALA) annual "State of the Air" report for 2025 reveals that nearly half of Americans (approximately 156 million people) are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution, specifically soot and smog. This issue is particularly prevalent in cities, with metropolitan areas like Bakersfield, Fresno, Visalia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Cleveland, Houston, Fairbanks, and Eugene experiencing high levels of air pollution.

The health impacts of air pollution are significant and wide-ranging. Fine particles in air pollution can penetrate deep into the respiratory system, bypassing the body's natural defences. Ozone and particle pollution are associated with adverse effects on newborn health, including increased risks of premature birth and lower birth weight. Air pollution also poses risks to children, the elderly, and individuals with pre-existing lung diseases such as asthma and COPD. It can trigger asthma attacks, impair lung development in children, and even lead to premature death. Additionally, air pollution is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, neurological damage, and cancer.

Climate change is exacerbating the problem. Extreme heat, droughts, and wildfires contribute to rising levels of ozone and particle pollution, putting millions of people at risk. The changing climate is making it increasingly challenging to maintain air quality and protect public health. This is evident in the recent decline in air quality on the West Coast due to wildfires in Canada, which caused an unprecedented increase in ozone and particle pollution in central and eastern states.

Communities of colour are disproportionately affected by air pollution. According to the ALA, people of colour are 1.5 times more likely than whites to reside in areas with poor air quality. They are also more susceptible to the health impacts of air pollution due to higher rates of chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. The environmental justice movement has highlighted how environmental racism has led to the deliberate location of heavily polluting industries, landfills, and highways in communities of colour.

Despite these challenges, efforts are being made to address air pollution and mitigate its health impacts. The Clean Air Act, implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has successfully reduced emissions from transportation, power plants, and manufacturing over the years. The EPA has also established national air quality standards and continues to work with various stakeholders to combat air pollution and protect public health. Additionally, initiatives like the National Clean Diesel Campaign, Clean School Bus USA, and the SmartWay Transport Partnership aim to reduce emissions from specific sources.

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