What are the two main sources of air pollution and what should governments do to reduce this pollution?

Answer 1

The main cause of air pollution is industry, which can include chemical production, pharmaceuticals, and energy plants. The second major source is cattle raising. Raising cattle for beef has actually surpassed the amount of pollution caused by cars.

Government involvement in pollution reduction varies from country to country, but generally it involves incentive programs, fines, and restrictions. The success of these programs varies greatly, and sometimes cannot be implemented at all.

For instance, if a government finds that a particular industry produces "x" amount of emissions, they may sign laws stating that this quantity must be reduced by 20% or else the company will be fined. In many cases the industry may find that it is more profitable to pay the fine than meet the new standards, so no change takes place.

In the same situation an industry may meet the new standard only to displace the emissions in an alternate, equally harmful way, such as dumping in unrestricted locations (outside of lawful government control) or producing separate industry (like having a factory that produces filters, yet production of the filters itself causes pollution). An even more likely condition is that the industry successfully prevents any government involvement through the strength of legal maneuvering.

Books can and have been written about the battle between environmental groups, industry lobbyists, and government bodies on the topic of pollution regulation. How much is actually done to untangle the bureaucracy usually rests with public support.