Everyone deserves to breathe clean air. But not everyone does.
As The Columbian reported, Vancouver is one of 16 Washington communities with the heaviest burden of air pollution. More than 103,000 people in Vancouver live with elevated levels of dangerous air pollution. Across Washington, more than 1 million people live in communities that are “highly impacted by air pollution.” In these places, life expectancies are nearly three years shorter than others across the state and people struggle with more health problems, like heart and lung disease.
Air pollution is also linked to racial inequality. Communities of color are more likely to be near pollution sources like roads and industrial facilities. While people of color make up one-third of Washington’s population, more than half of residents in communities highly impacted by air pollution are people of color.
Washington’s Climate Commitment Act addresses poor air quality and these inequalities by requiring the state to expand air quality monitoring, adopt stricter standards and direct funding to communities. Already, more than $24 million is funding air-quality solutions to help communities like Vancouver who are affected by air pollution. Everyone deserves to breathe clean air; Climate Commitment Act is making this a reality in Vancouver.
