In 2006 Cambridge physicist Stephen Hawking said, “Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden global warming…” and suggested colonizing other planets to ensure the survival of the human species. Some advocates suggested Mars, because it has plenty of carbon dioxide. That’s ironic, since EPA says CO2 is a planet-destroying pollutant here on Earth.
Despite intense focus on air pollution and climate change in recent years, the link is poorly understood. The divisiveness of that debate leads ever-self-critical Americans to forget how far the nation has advanced in cleaning up its air.
I am no expert on meteorology or climate. But I’ve always taken a simple approach to the global warming debate – we ought to quit polluting the air in every way we can, whether or not it affects the climate, because it is the right thing to do. And the truth is that we made greater progress toward clean air than any nation on Earth.
There are two approaches to reducing pollution. One is the common draconian strategy of forcing people to change their lifestyle, pushing a lower standard of living in which people travel less, live in smaller less comfortable homes, give up cars and other modern conveniences, and stop producing, manufacturing, and especially consuming. The other approach is to have a little faith in the ingenuity of a free people, and watch how innovation and technology can improve people’s lives, and their environment.
One expert says the best way to reduce the emission of pollutants is by switching to “cleaner fuels and processes.” But the primary focus of governments is on switching fuels, ignoring the achievements brought about by changing processes. Innovative technology has enabled vastly superior monitoring of multiple air pollutants, and methods for reducing them.
Scrubbers, bag houses, and electrostatic precipitators have completely changed what comes out of smokestacks at factories and powerplants, all but eliminating most sulfur dioxide, chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, and hydrogen chloride from industrial exhaust. They do so without disrupting production, making fuel-switching largely unnecessary at such plants. Similarly, the use of Chlorofluorocarbons and Hydrochlorofluorocarbons have been phased out as solvents, propellants, and refrigerants, and replaced with non-chlorine substitutes that do not deplete ozone. Ventilation designs and improved technology have filtered out most indoor pollution from furnaces and air conditioners. And most paints, cleaners, adhesives, sealants, and building materials are now either low-emitting or entirely free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Most impressive of all is the dramatic change in vehicles, once the source of brown clouds in most cities. Through modern design, catalytic converters, crankcase ventilation systems, variable valve timing, unleaded and oxygenated gasoline, fuel injection, better tires, and other advances, most cars now emit only CO2 and water vapor.
The impact of these innovations on clean air is astonishing. Since 1980, while the U.S. population increased by 47 percent, vehicle miles traveled more than doubled, gross domestic product increased 196 percent, and energy consumption nearly 30 percent, aggregate emissions of the six major pollutants plummeted 73 percent, according to EPA. Carbon monoxide is down 75 percent, lead 99 percent, nitrogen oxides 72 percent, VOCs 61 percent, particulates 65 percent, and sulfur dioxide 93 percent.
Innovation continues, as researchers are developing systems that turn 99 percent of particulates from diesel emissions into ink, towers of moss that eat urban pollution, self-cleaning concrete that breaks down air polluting particles into liquids and solids, and new varieties of engineered plants that absorb more CO2. Ocean fertilization may promote the growth of phytoplankton, as industrial firms further improve other CO2-capturing technologies. We are heading toward a world where water vapor and CO2 are the only major emissions from most human activity, thanks to technology.
About 70 percent of the greenhouse effect is caused by water vapor, and about 20 percent by CO2. Obviously, we cannot eliminate water vapor from the atmosphere, nor has anyone suggested that. Thus, the strange focus of worldwide effort is on reducing carbon dioxide, though it is as natural and important as water. Indeed, it is essential for plant growth and therefore a precondition for life on Earth. In areas where CO2 emissions are higher, trees and plants grow faster and healthier, further improving the quality of our air.
Doom and gloom may be good for special interest group fundraising, but we should never forget the power of a free enterprise system where innovators prosper by improving lives and communities. We may not have to colonize other planets after all.
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