A close friend recently turned 60. She threw a truly beautiful party in an ancient barn at her home just up the road from mine—a gathering of beloveds from all walks of her life. It was dreamy. I hadn’t been in a situation in a while where I was asked to describe my work to new-to-me people. But people asked, so I answered. A few wanted to know what it means to be part of a clean air force—and why?
The why be a part of a clean air force is simple to explain. The climate crisis is, to my mind, the only thing anyone should be working on at this very moment in time. What’s more critical? And there also are so many climate jobs that influence, impact, and help. You don’t have to be a politician or a scientist to make a difference regarding climate. The climate is no longer a realm or a niche sector; it’s everything and all types are needed. I’m a writer, not a policy maker, and I’m doing my part.
Tell Congress: Commit to Climate Investments and Clean Air Progress
Air pollutants
Describing what it means to be part of a clean air force is a little less obvious, especially at a birthday party. But I had our newest resource, Air Pollution 101, on the brain because we had just finished editing and designing it, so I was able to quickly share the basics as well as the background of what our organization does day to day. I started with air pollution: The air we breathe is contaminated by atmosphere-altering pollutants from a wide variety of sources. These include easy-to-understand things like power plants, oil and gas operations, transportation, factories, trash incineration, agriculture, wildfires, heating devices and fireplaces, and chemicals in everyday household products. It’s an onslaught.
I had a few stats on my mind to back up what I was saying: A telling detail is that in the U.S., more than four in ten people live with unhealthy air quality—outdoors and indoors. But it’s not just our country of course. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds their own safety guidelines.
Health impacts
This air pollution harms human health in many ways—smaller issues like eye irritation but also big ones like asthma, cancer, and even death. Some people are more vulnerable to this air pollution than others: pregnant people, babies, children, older adults, and people with underlying health problems. Communities of color and people experiencing poverty are especially burdened by air pollution. Exposure to air pollution before birth may have lifelong impacts.
The link between climate change and air pollution
The climate crisis and air pollution are inextricably linked. This is critical to understanding the issues at hand. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane heat the climate, leading to extreme temperatures and wildfires, which, in turn, add more pollution to the atmosphere. It’s a terrible cycle. That’s why working to reduce air pollution is climate work.
Delving deeper
None of this is exactly birthday cocktail hour chitchat, so I spared my new acquaintances details on key air pollutants—both indoors and out, plus information about mercury and other heavy metals, and all of their health impacts. I also didn’t get into ways to protect ourselves and loved ones from air pollution. All this—and more—is in our latest resource, Air Pollution 101. I did suggest that people join Moms Clean Air Force if they, like me, think it’s not OK that babies are being exposed to air pollution before they even take their first breaths. Legislation and regulation are required to clean up air pollution—and this is something we need as many people as possible to tackle together. Here’s hoping my new friends join the force now that they understand what it means.
READ THE AIR POLLUTION 101 FACT SHEET.
Tell Congress: Commit to Climate Investments and Clean Air Progress