Air Quality and Climate Change Briefs
Air pollution and climate change are closely related. Many sources of planet-warming greenhouse gases (GHGs) also emit health-damaging air pollutants. Addressing climate change, however, does not always result in cleaner air. What’s more, some climate policy solutions can actually make local air quality worse.
But it doesn’t have to be this way— climate change and air pollution can be tackled together. With equity at the center, policy approaches that deal with both issues can address longstanding inequalities and deliver near-term local health benefits, as well as longer-term global climate impacts.
This brief series gives an overview of the history of air and climate regulation, major challenges, and potential solutions for equity-based climate and air quality policies.
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Air Quality and Climate Change Brief 1: Overview
In Air Quality and Climate Change: Overview, you’ll find:
A short history of how air quality regulations started
How mainstream climate policies fall short of local impacts
Major sources of air pollutants and GHGs
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Air Quality and Climate Change Brief 2: Towards Justice
In Towards Justice for Air Quality & Climate Change, you’ll find:
A snapshot of air quality issues and injustices today
Major challenges to crafting policy solutions to address air quality and GHGs
Key frameworks to consider when crafting air quality and climate policies
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Air Quality and Climate Change Brief 3: Policy Solutions
In Air Quality and Climate Change: Policy Solutions, you’ll find:
Potential solutions that:
Prioritize the most polluted communities
Target the dirtiest sources
Clean up how we move
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Air Quality and Climate Change Brief 1 - 3 (combined)
Looking for example legislation and policies?
Check out our Policy Playbook on Air Quality and Climate Change.