NASA Earth observations show how reducing pollution from transportation and energy production can improve air quality – especially important for vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and those with respiratory issues like asthma. This information can help decision makers understand the causes and dangers of air pollution and inform potential solutions to these threats to human health.
NASA’s Earth Applied Sciences Health and Air Quality program area also works with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to incorporate satellite data into the nation’s daily air quality indices and long term pollution trends. The EPA and NASA identified a significant drop in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the U.S. over the last 15 years – a pollutant in the atmosphere known to have negative effects on human health. Tracking this downward trend shows that regulations put into place by the Clean Air Act 50 years ago, like gas mileage requirements and shifts to cleaner fuels, are working.
Read the full story on NASA.gov, “How NASA is Helping the World Breathe More Easily.”
