Climate Change Threatens to Worsen U.S. Ozone Pollution

Ozone pollution across the continental United States will become far more difficult to keep in check as temperatures rise, according to new research.  The detailed study shows that Americans face the risk of a 70 percent increase in unhealthy summertime ozone levels by 2050.  This is because warmer temperatures and other changes in the atmosphere related to a changing climate, including higher atmospheric levels of methane, spur chemical reactions that lead to ozone.

"It doesn't matter where you are in the United States -- climate change has the potential to make your air worse," said NCAR scientist Gabriele Pfister, the lead author of the new study.  "A warming planet doesn't just mean rising temperatures, it also means risking more summertime pollution and the health impacts that come with it."

However, the research also showed that a sharp reduction in the emissions of certain pollutants would lead to dramatically decreased levels of ozone even as temperatures warm.

Climate Change Threatens to Worsen U.S. Ozone Pollution