Investing in Clean Air: Great Returns from Wildlife Promise
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a
report that would make most Wall Street traders salivate. After
comparing investments in reducing air pollution to the returns
generated over the last 30 years, EPA found that the economy as
a whole is far better off that it would have been without the
Clean Air Act programs. For the first time, this study looks at
a broader set of economic benefits resulting from the Act,
including how the law has reduced household medical expenses and
led to fewer lost work days. The report provides the most
complete picture to date on how reducing air pollution affects
our overall economic well-being. - Annual economic benefits ($2
trillion) of the Clean Air Act’s programs outweigh the costs
($65 billion) more than 30 to 1. - Clean Air Act programs have
saved lives and resulted in significant improvements to public
health (including diseases such as asthma that lead to lost
productivity) and the environme