The US had just two 500-foot smokestacks in 1970 and more than 180 by 1985 to dilute local pollution; the taller stacks sent emissions farther downwind and helped spread acid rain
- US had just two 500-foot smokestacksAn effort by American power companies to reduce local air pollution in the 1970s ended up creating a much wider environmental crisis, turning a local health problem into a continent-wide acid rain emergency.
- By building huge smokestacks to send coal emissions away from nearby towns, power companies pushed sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into high-altitude winds.
- Instead of removing the pollution, the strategy carried these harmful chemicals hundreds of miles downwind, bringing acidic rain to forests, lakes and communities far from the power plants.
Unverified
- US had just two 500-foot smokestacksAn effort by American power companies to reduce local air pollution in the 1970s ended up creating a much wider environmental crisis, turning a local health problem into a continent-wide acid rain emergency.
- By building huge smokestacks to send coal emissions away from nearby towns, power companies pushed sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into high-altitude winds.
- Instead of removing the pollution, the strategy carried these harmful chemicals hundreds of miles downwind, bringing acidic rain to forests, lakes and communities far from the power plants.
Sources: Times of India