Smog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air

Author:   Ann Carlson
Publisher:   University of California Press
ISBN:  

9780520387393


Pages:   312
Publication Date:   07 April 2026
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Awaiting stock   Availability explained


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Smog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air


Overview

A stirring account of one of our greatest environmental success stories: cleaning up Southern California's 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. In a time of unprecedented climate change and skepticism about government and science, this book is an inspiring reminder of what concerned residents, individual leaders, and all levels of government can achieve by working together.

Full Product Details

Author:   Ann Carlson
Publisher:   University of California Press
Imprint:   University of California Press
ISBN:  

9780520387393


ISBN 10:   0520387392
Pages:   312
Publication Date:   07 April 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Awaiting stock   Availability explained

Table of Contents

Contents   Acknowledgments   Introduction 1. Setting the Stage 2. Just How Bad Was LA Smog Before the Clean Air Act? 3. The Los Angeles Times and the Tucker Report 4. It's the Cars, Stupid! 5. Denial, Delay, and Deception 6. Air Pollution Goes National 7. The Catalytic Converter 8. California Gets a Little Help from Its Friends 9. Everything Pollutes 10. Environmental Injustice 11. Diesel Cars and Trucks 12. Don't Mess with Our Cars 13. What Cleaning Up Southern California's Air Can Teach Us About Climate Change 14. Where Do We Go from Here?   Notes Selected Bibliography Index

Reviews

""An urgent argument for the good that government can do to combat climate change."" * Kirkus Reviews *


Author Information

Ann Carlson is Shirley Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law at the UCLA School of Law and former Acting Administrator and Chief Counsel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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