- Since the enactment of the Clean Air Act 40 years ago, air pollution has dropped significantly, while GDP has grown more than 200%.
- America is home to a $300 billion environmental protection industry.
- The environmental protection industry has supported 1.7 million jobs as of 2008.
- The global market for environmental goods and services is estimated at $700 billion.
- EPA’s regulations have helped spark innovation, including the catalytic converter and advanced battery technology.
On a related note, according to the White House blog,
A recent report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that the direct benefits of the Clean Air Act– in the form of cleaner air and healthier, more productive Americans – are estimated to reach nearly $2 trillion in the year 2020, exceeding the costs by a factor of more than 30 to one. According to the report, in 2010 alone, the reductions in fine particle and ozone pollution from the Clean Air Act prevented:
- 160,000 premature deaths;
- More than 80,000 emergency room visits;
- 130,000 heart attacks
- 13 million lost work days
- 1.7 million asthma attacks
Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art