Racial Divide In America Apparent in Air Pollution Data Too (But Why?)
The vast majority of the USA has much cleaner air than most of the world, even significantly cleaner than UK, Germany and France. But, an interesting pattern emerges if you look closer at the variance in air pollution within the United States. Surpringly, there’s a racial divide when it comes to the quality of air that people breathe in America.
People of color in America are exposed to measurably higher air pollution than white people.
Did you know that air pollution is lethal? 6.5 million people die prematurely every year because they don’t have access to clean air. That’s 1 out of every 8 deaths in the world. That’s more deaths than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and traffic accidents combined!
Is it because of socioeconomic status? Not quite.
As the chart below shows, people of color are exposed to more significantly more air pollution whether they’re above or below the poverty line.
Let’s break it down further by race:
Why though?
There are no simple answers here because there are many factors at play. If you want to dig deeper, the WashingtonPost has a couple well-researched stories that are worth your time.
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The racial divide in America is this elemental: Blacks and whites actually breathe different air.
— by Max Ehrenfreund for WashingtonPost. -
Pollution Is Segregated Too
— by Emily Badget for WashingtonPost
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