We talk with Ann Carlson about her new book "Smog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air."
Los Angeles and smog have been synonymous for decades. From the 1940s through the 1980s, children breathed air so heavy with lead that their blood was poisoned with it. In 1970, officials declared smog alerts on 235 days. But the last smog alert happened in 2003, and lead has virtually disappeared from the air. This is the story of how Los Angeles cleaned up its air.
In "Smog and Sunshine," environmental law expert and LA native Ann Carlson recounts the dramatic policy fights and the determined scientists, lawyers, and community members who worked alongside public officials to face off against major polluters and save their city.
Ann Carlson is Shirley Shapiro professor of environmental law at UCLA, faculty director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA School of Law, and former acting administrator and chief counsel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
