Adding Up The Costs of Air Pollution

We’ve all seen reports that talk about adding up the financial burden caused by “externalities” such as air pollution, but it never hurts to be reminded. The SF Chronicle reports that that the cost of air pollution in California’s San Joaquin Valley is an astonishing $3 Billion a year when asthma, lost work days, and other hospital costs are added up. The valley has the unfortunate luck of being a very effective catchment for much of the state’s pollution and the smog tends to add up rather than dissipate. But that dosn’t mean it should be discounted as an anomoly – the measureable & destructive costs of emissions are everywhere.