1 in 4 Americans today breathes unhealthy air because of climate change. And it's getting worse.
CBSN
Much of the U.S. Northeast was smothered last summer by dense smoke from Canadian wildfires, leading to New York City's worst air quality since the 1960s. Such episodes, once mostly isolated incidents, are increasingly common due to the impact of climate change, new research shows.
About 83 million Americans, or 1 in 4, are already exposed each year to air quality that is categorized as "unhealthy" by the Air Quality Index (AQI), a number that could grow to 125 million people within decades, according to First Street Foundation, which analyzes climate risks. The unhealthy AQI level, color-coded red, means that outdoor activities can result in lung impairment for some people, including respiratory ailments like chest pain and coughs.
The nation's worsening air quality comes after decades of improvements thanks to regulations such as the 1970 Clean Air Act, which tightened federal rules on pollutants emitted by factories and automobiles. But the recent rise in poor air quality could be harder to battle because it's linked to global warming, with higher temperatures and drought causing more smoke-spewing wildfires, First Street said.
