Environmental policy guided by science saves lives, money, and ecosystems. So, reports a team of eleven senior researchers in Environmental Science & Policy. Using air pollution in the United States as a case study, they highlight the success of cleanup strategies backed by long-term environmental monitoring.
Co-author Gary Lovett, a Senior Scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, comments, “In an era where science faces skepticism, we came together to highlight measurable improvements to air and water quality made possible by legislation backed and tracked by environmental monitoring.”
“When it comes to sound environmental policy, facts and data matter. Our efforts to curtail harmful emissions in the US have been guided and validated by environmental monitoring. Reduced air pollution has had tremendous environmental, social, and economic benefits,” explains lead author Timothy Sullivan of E&S Environmental Chemistry Inc.
Read more at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Photo: Removal of lead from gasoline has resulted in a >95% decrease in the concentration of lead in the air. Graph reflects mean air concentration of lead (Pb) measured at eight US monitoring sites from 1980 to 2015. (CREDIT: Joe Mabel)