Clearing the air

THE UNITED STATES HAS MADE DRAmatic progress in reducing air pollution over the last few decades,

This disconnect between perception and reality is, in part, the result of environmental activists' exaggerations of air pollution levels and risks, which make air pollution appear to be increasing when in fact it is has been declining. State and federal regulatory agencies sometimes also resort to such tactics, and the media generally report those claims uncritically. As a result, public fears over air pollution are out of all proportion to the actual risks posed by current air pollution levels, and there is widespread but unwarranted pessimism about the nation's prospects for further air pollution improvements.