Newspapers in Canada, like those in much of the developed world, give extensive coverage to alarming claims about poor air quality and its impact upon health. Claims linking increasing rates of asthma and death due to air pollution are carried uncritically. But, the reality of the state of our air is quite different from the portrayals of alarmists or the understanding of the public. Things are, in fact, improving dramatically in the developed world as improvements in technology, higher incomes, and democratic systems have created an ever-increasing ability to protect the environment.
