news
Trump rolls back fuel economy to 2014 levels, impacting climate health
Former President Trump has again cut US corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, dropping them from 40 mpg to just 35 mpg. This policy change reverses previous efforts to reduce emissions, meaning more pollution in the air. For our bodies, it signals a slowdown in air quality improvements.
Former President Trump has again cut US corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, dropping them from 40 mpg to just 35 mpg. This policy change reverses previous efforts to reduce emissions, meaning more pollution in the air. For our bodies, it signals a slowdown in air quality improvements.
The architecture take
I’m not usually tracking federal fuel policy, but this one landed because it has a real impact on something I care about: the air we breathe. This rollback of CAFE standards means more tailpipe emissions, plain and simple. More pollutants like particulate matter and ozone precursors in the atmosphere directly affect respiratory health, sure, but also our nervous systems. I see this as an added layer of ambient stress, hitting everyone from kids with asthma to anyone trying to regulate their baseline calm. It increases the body's oxidative stress load over time. I mean, my body has enough to deal with just living in a city. This just makes the air denser, and my nervous system's job harder. Watch for this to quietly nudge up rates of chronic inflammation and respiratory issues in urban areas, especially in places where air quality was already an issue. Your body really does track this stuff, whether you notice it consciously or not.