California and other Western states see spikes in unhealthy air pollution as national levels improve
NBCJUL 2023
Report: Almost 40% of US Residents Exposed to Air Pollution
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The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Poor American air quality is even more bad news for low-income and minority populations, which have historically inhaled more polluted air than people in affluent neighborhoods or gentrified areas. This is clearly a product of structural racism and it's a crisis that must be addressed by the US government.
Pro-establishment narrative
In order to tackle this problem, the US government needs to come up with all-encompassing solutions. Already cars are using cleaner fuels and coal-fired facilities are being shut down. More can be done as long as there's the requisite amount of federal and local investment to continue the momentum.
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 50% chance that there will be at least 113M DALYs caused by outdoor air pollution in 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.