Transcript:
Air pollution from power plants, vehicles, and other sources can worsen asthma and other health problems. So as the Trump administration reduces air pollution regulations, many clean air advocates are worried.
González Whitaker: “It’s very scary because it’s not abstract, right? Like, my son has pretty severe respiratory issues.”
Isabel González-Whitaker is with the nonprofit Moms Clean Air Force, a group of parents working to protect kids from pollution and climate change.
She says given federal rollbacks, the group is focusing on state and local advocacy.
González Whitaker: “This is a trying time … so we’re looking for opportunities where we can find them to drive impact.”
For example, they’re pushing for state policies that limit air pollution, advocating for states to plug abandoned oil and gas wells that emit methane, and building support for more electric school buses.
And they’re encouraging parents to turn their concerns into action by writing letters and op-eds, submitting testimonies to lawmakers, or lobbying elected officials.
González Whitaker: “I think the more that we rally and the more that we provide voice to our discomfort and our disappointment, the less long, hopefully, that we have to live under circumstances that are super scary.”
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media