Unhealthy air pollution affects nearly 40% of Americans, report reveals

A recent American Lung Association report states that climate change and wildfires are reversing progress on air pollution, impacting 131 million Americans with unhealthy air.

Evan Bush reports for NBC News.

In short:

The "State of the Air" report shows an increase of 12 million people living in polluted areas since last year.
Climate-related disasters, particularly wildfires, are major contributors to deteriorating air quality.
Policies and technology exist to mitigate this issue, but lack of political will remains a barrier.

Key quote:

“It is distressing to find that so many people are living with air quality that threatens their health.”

— Katherine Pruitt, national senior director for clean air policy at the American Lung Association.

Why this matters:

As the planet warms, drier and hotter conditions become more common, setting the stage for wildfires to ignite and spread more easily. These wildfires produce vast amounts of smoke, containing particulates and harmful gases such as carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds, which significantly degrade air quality.

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