Pollution is a negative externality and I would understand the gist of it if it was called theft of clean air, but hesitate to endorse the wording. I think of

Pollution is a negative externality and I would understand the gist of it if it was called theft of clean air, but hesitate to endorse the wording. I think of theft is something that you catch someone for and punish and potentially get back what was lost or some of it. Negative externalities I think of as something that needs to regulated legally or through some other feedback mechanism.