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As an Earth Care Congregation we are concerned about outdoor air pollution challenges facing the United States today.
Congress designed the Clean Air Act to protect public health and welfare from different types of air pollution caused by a diverse array of pollution sources. The law requires EPA to establish national ambient air quality standards based on the latest science, and requires states to adopt enforceable plans to achieve those standards.
State plans must control emissions that drift across state lines and harm air quality in downwind states. The law is designed to minimize pollution increases from motor vehicles, and from new or expanded stationary sources such as power plants, industrial plants, and other facilities that are not mobile.
The Act addresses “hazardous” or “toxic” air pollutants that pose health risks. It addresses acid rain that damages aquatic life and ecosystems, acidifies forest soils, damages property, and forms from pollution that degrade visibility and harm public health.
It addresses chemical emissions that deplete the stratospheric ozone layer which protects us from skin cancer and eye damage. Congress drafted the Act to also address pollution problems that emerge over time, such as greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
National Geographic is tracking the current administrations changes to U.S. science and environmental policies.
Many of the actions of the current administration roll back policies aimed to curb climate change and limit environmental pollution, while others threaten to limit federal funding for science and the environment.
As an Earth Care Congregation we are stewards of the environment. As such we are alert to air pollution challenges facing us today. These challenges, affecting our health as well as the health of our children and grandchildren, include health-based standards for food, limiting climate change, reducing risks from toxic air pollutants, and protecting the ozone layer.
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