California’s famous freeways are full of cleaner cars, cutting peak levels of air pollution and enabling many residents to breathe easier.
As the Los Angeles Times reports, a new report from the Environment California Research & Policy Center says that vehicles on California’s roads today are 99 percent cleaner than their counterparts from five decades ago. What this means is that while 100,000 miles in a 1960s-era car resulted in 2,000 pounds of smog-forming pollution, the same amount of driving generates only 10 pounds of the compounds.
Californians’ lungs have been the primary beneficiaries: vehicle-related air pollution has dropped by 85 percent since its peak in 1975, while smog has declined by 70 percent in Los Angeles and 50 percent in San Diego and Sacramento.
However, the fact that Californians still complain about the quality of their air isn’t just a bunch of whining. Despite the huge gains in cutting auto emissions, air quality in many parts of the state is some of the worst in the country. Indeed, the 10 most heavily polluted counties in the U.S. lie inside of California’s borders.
Researchers point to a series of state regulations implemented through the years as a primary driver of less-polluting cars.
At the same time, the study argues that the battle is not won, and more laws are needed to achieve healthy air. It encourages state legislators to implement laws that will reduce emissions to 80 percent lower than the 2005 level by 2050.
