EE as

CRISIS

Deces tudy nine years later. In
Pri er, 1962, another smog
) Officials London. British medical
death +1, “Stimated — the final
eel at. 750 persons.’ .
Property damaging health and
air wate and wasting resources,
Btadeg Been depresses and de-
ay that € human spirit in a
dollars Cannot be calculated in
associa a cents. The acid smog
dusts €d with automobile ex-
ple Probably does not kill
+ them , Outright. It envelopes
that ae an ugly yellow haze
Makes yrs Out. the view and
S the eyes smart.

SUMATE CHANGES

ai; Rother
Ir poll
tion of
areas

, Stim:

j hayates

effect of large-scale

‘ution has been the altera-
the climates: of urban
€ U.S. Weather Bureau
that in winter cities
1 Percent more fog than
Places, J

In winter, cities have 50 per-
cent less ultraviolet radiation (a
necessary ingredient for plant
growth) than country areas, and
cloudiness occurs 5 to 10 per-
cent more often. Such climatic
situations add to the hazards of
vehicular travel and the incl-
dence of accidents, both on the
ground and in the air. Accord-
ing to a 1962 study ‘by the Civil
Aeronautics Board, 15 to 20
plane crashes during that year
could have been caused by low
visibility resulting from smoke,
haze, dust, and sand in the air.
As the number of people on
earth increases, there is more
air pollution. Canada has one of
the world’s highest standards of
living, however, it is finding air
pollution increasing even faster
than population growth would
suggest. This is related to our
increasing per capita production
and consumption of goods and
services, which entail a vastly
greater use of combustible mate-
rials, as well as other activities
which pollute the air. :
While improving ourselves in
the short run, We have created
air pollution problems which
have damaged ou
and may eventually destroy us.
As Rachel Carson wrote, “It
seems to me that air pollution
should be viewed in the larger
context to which it belongs. It
is part of one of the most vital
problems that confront man-
kind today: how to control the
spreading contamination from
many sources that is rapidly
causing the deterioration of our

environment. In piological  his-

tory, no organism has survived

long if its environment became
in some way unfit for it. But no

r environment —

organism before man has deli-
berately polluted its own en-
vironment.

FINANCIAL
CONSIDERATIONS

The effects of air pollution on
our health, our property and our
minds: have been discussed. Air
is a limited resource. One ob-
vious fact must be appreciated
before examining what can be
done to preserve this valuable
resource.- People «must. breathe
the air, polluted or otherwise, as
it comes to them. Thére is no
opportunity for treatment to re-
move pollutants before the air
is taken into the lungs, unless
everyone constantly wears a gas
mask.

In terms of solving the air
pollution problem, Canada has
both the technology and the
wealth to reduce pollution dras-
tically . . . Even though thous-

ands of sources are still dis-'

charging their wastes into the
public air, most’ of the devices.
for controlling emissions were
invented long ago. In terms of
money, an expenditure of less
than one-half of one per cent of
the gross national product
would reduce air pollution by at
least two-thirds. By drastically
reducing the $1.3 billion yearly
loss from property damage, the
expenditure would pay for itself.

Private and. public reponse
has been inadequate. A change
is in the wind but it may blow
over. Spending by United States
governments at all levels on en-
forcement and research now is
running at $40 million annually
with about 65 percent of it fe-
deral money. Fortune magazine
in a November, 1965, article es-
timated that American industry
can reduce total pollution by
two-thirds through an expendi-
ture of $3 billion over the next

ten years.

THE LOCAL
CHALLENGE

American industry has a dis-
mal record, Fortune concedes, in
air pollution abatement and re-
cognizes that actual enforce-
ment can best be done by state
and local governments with na-

tional emission standards. In

1965 only 117 local agencies had .

minimal regulatory programs.
However, 46 of these were coun-
try agencies — a 450 percent in-
crease from 1961. Only ten
states in 1965 had active regula-
tory programs.

The problem in Canada is due
to the failure of the provincial
and federal governments to
clearly assign and accept res-
ponsibility for all pollution of
air, water or soil. Most local
governments have not done any-
thing about pollution and those
that have enacted legislation
failed to enforce it and failed to
make the penalties big enough
to force the violators to install
equipment to reduce pollution.

A recent announcement of the

| this figure in turn was offs
number of cars in operati

hich |

ampel

federal government says it is go-

ing to enact legislation on pol-
lution which will serve as a
model for other governments. If
this statement can be believed,
it is good news, indeed.

What the provincial and mu- -

nicipal governments will do, re-
main to be seen. z

The challenge to local gov-
ernment is plain. Air pollution’s
effects are graphic. The national

air pollution problem is many -

local problems put together. In-
formed and dedicated local of-
ficials are needed to mobilize
effective programs to meet the
challenge of solving these prob-
lems. The purpose of these
guides is to provide the neces-
sary information to enable local

- Officials to act effectively.

. measures. He told his audience that since
10 percent of existing cars ar ped

| action to equip all new cars wit

would only reduce the total pollution
rcent per year. He urged an approc

and old fps and called for th

om

sit

il ld