>> AMANDA: The atmosphere surrounds us.
Though we usually can’t see it, what’s
in the air can affect how we feel.
We can have asthma attacks, lung and heart
complications,
or even die because of air pollutants.
On some days, we can see these pollutants
as haze or smog.
In LA in 1945, air pollution was so bad, people
thought they were under
a gas attack.
Fortunately, new regulations improved air
quality since then, but the growing population,
traffic, and industry in California still
make its air some of the
most polluted in the country.
[pause]
>> AMANDA: But not everyone breathes the same
air.
Studies have shown that minority and low-income
communities tend to be at higher risk of inhaling
polluted air.
Such
disparities in air pollution are considered
environmental justice issues.
According to the U.S. EPA, environmental justice
is “the fair treatment of all people regardless
of race, color, national origin, or income,
with respect to the development and enforcement
of environmental laws and regulations.”
In 2006, California passed a law
designed to maintain clean air for everyone.
It required the California Air Resources Board,
or CARB, to focus on environmental justice
issues.
The California Health and
Air Quality team at NASA Ames partnered with
CARB to improve identification of communities
disproportionately impacted by air pollution,
and make California a healthy place
to breathe for all.
[pause]
>> AMANDA: Now let’s take a closer look
at an especially harmful pollutant.
Particulate matter, or PM, is any liquid or
solid that becomes suspended in the atmosphere,
including dust, smoke, and exhaust.
Currently, CARB measures PM with ground monitors,
but these point data leave us with uncertainty
in between monitors.
[pause]
>> AMANDA: By using NASA Earth observations,
we can fill in those gaps.
The Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group
combined imagery from multiple satellites
and sensors
with model simulations and ground-based measurements,
to make maps of global PM.
We are using their data to look at air pollution
and environmental justice in California.
[pause]
>> AMANDA: CARB is committed to working towards
environmental justice for all California residents.
Our project will help CARB achieve its goal
by providing a new
perspective on air pollution.
[ticking clock sound effect]
[music]
