![Potato pepper spotting due to ozone damage](graphics/IIID2a_potato_pepper_spotting_ozone.jpg) ir
pollution isn't just an urban problem. California
has the world's richest farmland. In fact it is so productive that about 1/2 of
the nation's fruits and vegetables come from California.
1 out of 6 people work
in jobs related to agriculture, the state's #1 industry. Anything that damages
crops is serious business!
Since the 1950s, we have known that smog is damaging
California crops. When city pollution blows over and spreads throughout more
rural valleys and basins, it gets trapped over the most fertile croplands and
bakes there in the sun for days. Today in California, crop losses from air
pollution reach over $300,000,000 ($300 million) a year. When we reduce ozone,
we protect our food and our economy.
How
Does Ozone Damage Crops?
What Does
Particulate Matter do to Crops?
How
Does Sulfur Dioxide Hurt Crops?
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