Ben Dresdow
Environmental Science
Franklin Chen PhD
26 March 2019
Air Pollution, what is the Right way to Deal with it?
Over the years air pollution has experienced plenty of heated debate within American society, and with all this clamor, it can become monumentally difficult to have a realistic discussion about its impact on the environment, and within the lives of people. In a country such as the U.S., it is vitally important to understand a wide array of notable political issues, especially ones as far reaching as concerns regarding the state of the world’s environments. As the relationship between politics and air pollution are observed, it can be seen that many different ideas on the issue exist, these ideologies impact policy on the matters, and ultimately a wide range of factors must be taken into account when discussing this complicated subject.
Over the years that air pollution has become a popular issue to debate, differing mindsets have come to the forefront to discuss the issue. Those who fear the consequences related to air pollution typically highlight the deaths related to particulates resulting from the burning of coal, and as a result call for a phasing out the coal industry. Per the Lancet, it is estimated that 1,200 in France have been caused as a result of smog originating from neighboring countries (Lancet, 2016.). Given these effects, it is valid for there to be concern regarding air pollution, and important that nations come together and search for viable solutions. The common assumption to solve these issues is to implement government policies, and subsidize clean energy markets, but these ideas also have their respective issues. The goal of subsidizing markets such as wind and solar is to make them more competitive in the eyes of consumers, however it is observed that subsidies have the potential to hurt these industries in the long run and damage the national and global economy. Camilo Patrignani, the CEO of Greenwood Energy(a solar power company) outlined a plan for eliminating the solar investment tax credit(a 30% tax break) back in 2016. He argued that solar companies are growing more profitable and efficient, and as a result, much more affordable to American consumers (Tubb, 2015). Subsidies may not be the best use of government resources in the fight against air pollution, as it can drain government resources without conclusively improving the markets of clean energy. Market demand for solar and wind energy is already increasing, and has reliably for the last couple years, and therefore a natural shift should continue to be made towards these practices, without spending large sums of government money. The green technological revolution is being spearheaded by industries and companies, who have investigated utilizing algae for gasoline, nuclear energy, and more highly efficient practices. In order to solve the issues of air pollution, it is important to rely on the visions of entrepreneurs. Air pollution proves to be a complicated issue, with a wide array of opinions. Ultimately, for the U.S. to continue to be a leader in world politics, it is essential to allow the strongest entrepreneurial minds to drive forth the markets of clean, renewable energy.
References
Patrignani, C. (2015, January 13). A Solar CEO Wants To End The Investment Tax
Credit. Why? Retrieved from Clean Technica website:
https://cleantechnica.com/2015/01/13/
a-solar-ceo-wants-to-end-the-investment-tax-credit-why/
The Lancet. (2016). Air pollution—crossing borders. The Lancet,388(10040), 103.
Tubb, K. (2015, February 4). 5 Reasons Why We Shouldn’t Keep Subsidizing Wind
And Solar Energy. Retrieved from https://www.heritage.org/energy-economics/
commentary/5-reasons-why-we-shouldnt-keep-subsidizing-wind-and-solar-energy
website: