5 ms·

I've never been to the US. Wow, that is 2 decades ago. Does LA still have such issues? If not, how did they improve the air quality?

brianwawok 10y ago
https://www.marketplace.org/2014/07/14/sustainability/we-used-be-china/la-smog-battle-against-air-pollution https://www.marketplace.org/2014/07/14/sustainability/we-use... > It took decades. Los Angeles had its first real smog attack during World War II, a smog strong enough that some people suspected a Japanese chemical attack. But it wasn’t until 1975 that the U.S. required new cars to have catalytic converters, “the key piece of technology that allowed everything to change,” according to Mary Nichols, chairman of California’s Air Resources Board.
- riteshkpr 10y ago
  Were 'catalytic converters' technology a known solution at the time? I wonder if there is a known solution to the smog problem faced by Indian and Chinese cities. Or is the solution yet to be discovered. It feels like (after having lived there) these cities have crossed the threshold for number of people/cars/houses/offices per unit area and the way forward is to force expansion of cities - - reduce number of high rises that can be built - reduce number of cars that can be produced or sold - force/incentivize offices and industries to move out of these big cities - large, safe and economical state owned public transport
  - jschwartzi 10y ago
    The solution was actually legislation and regulation of the auto industry. The legislature in California and (to some extent) the US realized that particulate pollution and smog were major problems in cities, so they passed laws requiring automakers to install equipment that controls emissions. The OBD and OBD II systems, electronic fuel injection, the catalytic converter, and various other systems are a result of that legislative push. If they had left it up to the individual, as India has, we would experience similar air quality. I should add that California has tighter emissions standards than the federal government, and some vehicles will be sold with special emissions control equipment in California. For example, I had a GMC C1500 truck, which shipped with an optional Air Injection Reactor if you bought it in California.
    - brianwawok 10y ago
      In fact my lawn mower has 2 models... California and everywhere else.
  - brianwawok 10y ago
    Some of it is money. Installiing California emission equipment to all vehicles would cut pollution a lot... But if it raised vehicle cost by 50%, no one could afford it. I think we know how to fix it, but no one wants to start taking cars away from people or raising the prices 50%.
coredog64 10y ago
I attended elementary school in California in the late 70s/early 80s. We would have smog alerts when the air quality was so bad we couldn't go outside during recess. California has been working on this since the late 60s. They were the first state to require better emissions controls on cars, they have tightened regulations on businesses and industries that would normally negatively contribute, and the push the problems of dirty power generation into other states.
beachstartup 10y ago
yes. it's still terrible all the time. don't ever come to visit or live here. especially not the west side. p.s. it's also overcrowded, and there's no public transit. did i mention the food is terrible?
- bogomipz 10y ago
  Yes the food is terrible besides the amazing Mexican food, amazing Asian food, Sushi and hamburgers. Check.
  - beachstartup 10y ago
    all of that is better in the bay area. don't ever come to LA if you want good food.
    - bogomipz 10y ago
      Can I ask why if you dislike LA so much you choose to be there?
      - beachstartup 10y ago
        you new to the internet, buddy?
- mturmon 10y ago
  And it's full of vacuous entertainment industry people and their hangers-on. Nobody knows how to read books. Only advantage is being able to turn right on red. Sammy Glick, Day of the Locust, Helter Skelter, gag me with a spoon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, earthquakes, wildfires, riots. Bad food. Best to stay far away.
bogomipz 10y ago
LA has good days and bad days. Ozone in L.A regularly exceeds federal standards. Air quality advisories throughout the year are not uncommon. This has some relevant statistics from the South Coast Air Quality Management District which is larger larger than just LA County but includes it: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-summer-smog-20160805-snap-story.html http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-summer-smog-2016... It's an uphill battle. There are more hybrid vehicles on the road these days and California has pretty stringent emissions requirements, the Dept. of Motor Vehicles requires you to have a smog check every two years on your car. However the population of L.A has been booming for over a decade now and despite investment in mass transit it hasn't put much any appreciable dent in automobile traffic.
leafee 10y ago
Current PM 2.5 level in LA is 74. Current level in Delhi is 500+. The scale is just not comparable. I lived in LA for 3+ years in the 2000s. I just returned to Delhi and the air quality is way, way worse than I have ever experienced, anywhere.

brianwawok 10y ago

https://www.marketplace.org/2014/07/14/sustainability/we-used-be-china/la-smog-battle-against-air-pollution https://www.marketplace.org/2014/07/14/sustainability/we-use... > It took decades. Los Angeles had its first real smog attack during World War II, a smog strong enough that some people suspected a Japanese chemical attack. But it wasn’t until 1975 that the U.S. required new cars to have catalytic converters, “the key piece of technology that allowed everything to change,” according to Mary Nichols, chairman of California’s Air Resources Board.

riteshkpr 10y ago
Were 'catalytic converters' technology a known solution at the time? I wonder if there is a known solution to the smog problem faced by Indian and Chinese cities. Or is the solution yet to be discovered. It feels like (after having lived there) these cities have crossed the threshold for number of people/cars/houses/offices per unit area and the way forward is to force expansion of cities - - reduce number of high rises that can be built - reduce number of cars that can be produced or sold - force/incentivize offices and industries to move out of these big cities - large, safe and economical state owned public transport
- jschwartzi 10y ago
  The solution was actually legislation and regulation of the auto industry. The legislature in California and (to some extent) the US realized that particulate pollution and smog were major problems in cities, so they passed laws requiring automakers to install equipment that controls emissions. The OBD and OBD II systems, electronic fuel injection, the catalytic converter, and various other systems are a result of that legislative push. If they had left it up to the individual, as India has, we would experience similar air quality. I should add that California has tighter emissions standards than the federal government, and some vehicles will be sold with special emissions control equipment in California. For example, I had a GMC C1500 truck, which shipped with an optional Air Injection Reactor if you bought it in California.
  - brianwawok 10y ago
    In fact my lawn mower has 2 models... California and everywhere else.
- brianwawok 10y ago
  Some of it is money. Installiing California emission equipment to all vehicles would cut pollution a lot... But if it raised vehicle cost by 50%, no one could afford it. I think we know how to fix it, but no one wants to start taking cars away from people or raising the prices 50%.

coredog64 10y ago

I attended elementary school in California in the late 70s/early 80s. We would have smog alerts when the air quality was so bad we couldn't go outside during recess. California has been working on this since the late 60s. They were the first state to require better emissions controls on cars, they have tightened regulations on businesses and industries that would normally negatively contribute, and the push the problems of dirty power generation into other states.

beachstartup 10y ago

yes. it's still terrible all the time. don't ever come to visit or live here. especially not the west side. p.s. it's also overcrowded, and there's no public transit. did i mention the food is terrible?

bogomipz 10y ago
Yes the food is terrible besides the amazing Mexican food, amazing Asian food, Sushi and hamburgers. Check.
- beachstartup 10y ago
  all of that is better in the bay area. don't ever come to LA if you want good food.
  - bogomipz 10y ago
    Can I ask why if you dislike LA so much you choose to be there?
    - beachstartup 10y ago
      you new to the internet, buddy?
mturmon 10y ago
And it's full of vacuous entertainment industry people and their hangers-on. Nobody knows how to read books. Only advantage is being able to turn right on red. Sammy Glick, Day of the Locust, Helter Skelter, gag me with a spoon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, earthquakes, wildfires, riots. Bad food. Best to stay far away.

bogomipz 10y ago

LA has good days and bad days. Ozone in L.A regularly exceeds federal standards. Air quality advisories throughout the year are not uncommon. This has some relevant statistics from the South Coast Air Quality Management District which is larger larger than just LA County but includes it: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-summer-smog-20160805-snap-story.html http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-summer-smog-2016... It's an uphill battle. There are more hybrid vehicles on the road these days and California has pretty stringent emissions requirements, the Dept. of Motor Vehicles requires you to have a smog check every two years on your car. However the population of L.A has been booming for over a decade now and despite investment in mass transit it hasn't put much any appreciable dent in automobile traffic.

leafee 10y ago

Current PM 2.5 level in LA is 74. Current level in Delhi is 500+. The scale is just not comparable. I lived in LA for 3+ years in the 2000s. I just returned to Delhi and the air quality is way, way worse than I have ever experienced, anywhere.