The Environmental And Economic Effects Of Ozone
Vijay Limaye, an environmental health scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), who previously worked for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), speaks on Climate Change, specifically interviewed on KNPR’s State of Nevada’s “What is Ozone Pollution Costing Nevada?” Limaye discusses the specific prevalence of climate change on geographical locations, and its propogation from ozone gases, created by sources like fossil fuels. While some level of ozone layer in our environment is necessary for our survival, as it helps to block out harmful rays; too much of it can cause effects such as global warming, and has other environmental and economic impacts. Ozone, or smog (ground level ozone), is a polluting product of burning fossil fuels and how they react with the environment, thus aggravating climate change. This causes a cyclical chain of reactions as increased heat from “global warming” increases the formation of ozone gases in certain parts of the world. This can lead to worsened air quality and many health problems, especially in youth, the elderly, and anyone with a compromised immune system. According to Limaye, research recently done by the EPA shows both short-term and long-term health issues, especially a strong link between ozone and metabolic conditions like diabetes. Studies such as these have shown that ozone exposure can exacerbate symptoms in conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and other breathing problems. Long term exposure was even linked to mortality in humans. In 2012 alone, there were 97 deaths attributable to ozone; and in 2014, according to the Clark County coroner, 26 people died of heat exposure; and that number quintupled in 2017, to 137 deaths.
According to Vijay, the EPA estimates that there is no truly safe level of ozone for human populations, and that less than half of the current standard of ozone is probably much safer for humanity, as higher levels worsen pollution for the entire planet. Rural areas that may not be responsible for as much of the ozone levels are still not safe from its effects; as pollution can travel through the air for hundreds of miles from more densely populated areas. This means that this is not just a regional issue, or even a national issue; but an issue that affects us, as people, globally. Limaye specifically refers to the correlation between climate change and energy choices, and the need to transition away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner, alternative energy. While individual consequences are clear, country-wide, if not world-wide, ramifications in climate change can be seen in a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) such as: Wildfires in Washington and Colorado, Ozone Air Pollution in Nevada, West Nile Virus outbreaks in Texas, Lyme Disease outbreaks in Michigan, Extreme Weather and Heat in states like Ohio and Wisconsin, Algal Blooms in Florida, and even exacerbation of Hurricanes in states like New Jersey and New York. Finding specific issues in these specific states helped to personalize these changes, and to make their effects more palpable to the people in an effort to make their consequences tangible. These kinds of issues can cost the Government exorbitant amounts of money in an effort to quell their effects. Opposing views to the EPA’s and Limaye’s focus largely on costs of converting to clean energy practices; as much of our current infrastructure is centered on fossil fuels; and Vijay mentions that even tracking these costs can be difficult to manage, which exacerbate attempts to rectify the situation or increase social awareness. A lack of understanding and evidence is considered particularly prevalent, especially about the economic toll of climate change and these public health issues. Such climate disasters pose a threat to the countries, if not the world’s, economic security.
If people are made aware of the enormity of the costs that we are already paying (especially in alleviation of damages that have already occurred), then they might rise up and actually help to make changes; rather than jumping from one climate disaster to the next and simply covering up the problem by treating the symptoms rather than the cause. The price of changing these systems and the practices that are already prevalent in our country could be massive; however not changing our ways could be even more costly as we lose access to resources and are forced to attempt to rectify the fallout of these situations. Studies in 2012 speculated that ozone pollution was responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in death costs and illnesses, resulting in a total of $898 million in health care costs due to Ozone. The research done by people like Vijay, the EPA, and the NRDC, “shedding light on relationship between climate change, health impact, and cost” could be key to helping to enact policies and practices that help to mitigate some of the impacts that climate change and ozone have on the planet. Studies like these give us reason to act quickly and with purpose, to mitigate climate change, and prepare for the ramifications of the damage of what we have already done.
Works Cited
- “What Is Ozone Pollution Costing Nevada?” Vijaye Limaye, KNPR: Nevada Public Radio, 2 Oct. 2019, https://knpr. org/knpr/2019-10/what-ozone-pollution-costing-nevada.
