Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41348743›Full record

ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2025

Eliminating air pollution disparities requires more than emission reduction.

Libby H Koolik, Robert D Bullard, Esther Min, Rachel Morello-Frosch, Regan Patterson, Manuel Salgado, Nico Wedekind, Julian D Marshall, Joshua S Apte

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. PMScience advances · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Eliminating air pollution disparities requires more than emission reduction.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Libby H KoolikDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.ORCID 0000-0001-8339-927X
Robert D BullardBarbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX 77004.ORCID 0000-0003-3683-1255
Esther MinFront and Centered, Seattle, WA 98121.
Rachel Morello-FroschSchool of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.ORCID 0000-0003-1153-7287
Regan PattersonDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095.ORCID 0000-0002-3282-3074
Manuel SalgadoWE-ACT for Environmental Justice, New York, NY 10031.
Nico WedekindFront and Centered, Seattle, WA 98121.
Julian D MarshallDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.ORCID 0000-0003-4087-1209
Joshua S ApteDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.ORCID 0000-0002-2796-3478

Funding

Google.org TF2203-106429
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In the United States, people of color are disproportionately and unjustly exposed to air pollution. Historically, environmental policy has emphasized aggregate emission reductions, yet major emission reduction scenarios do not sufficiently mitigate relative exposure disparities. Here, we show that without focusing on relative disparity (percent difference) in exposure, the only way to improve air quality and eliminate absolute exposure disparity is to eliminate all emissions (an unlikely outcome). We demonstrate that the relative disparity metric is ethically important and also a controllable societal feature that can reduce absolute disparity in exposure. We illustrate a range of approaches to air pollution policy that go beyond traditional emission reductions to meaningfully address exposure disparities. These strategies should be at the center of the future US environmental policy.

Indexed as

Air PollutionEnvironmental ExposureEnvironmental PolicyAir PollutantsHumansUnited StatesAir Pollutantsair pollutionenvironmental justiceenvironmental policy

Identifiers

PMID41348743
PMCPMC12718300

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.