Scientist says crisis once thought solved may return due to government action: 'An awful way for the country to go'

The United States could see the return of toxic acid rain, an environmental problem thought to have been solved decades ago, due to the White House's rollback of pollution protections, according to an expert.

What's happening?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to eliminate or weaken 31 regulations that protect clean air and water. 

Gene Likens, the 90-year-old scientist who discovered acid rain in North America in the 1960s, has warned that if rules curbing toxic pollution from power plants, cars, and trucks are scaled back, acid rain could return to harm our environment.

"I'm very worried that might happen, it's certainly not impossible that it could happen," Likens told The Guardian. 

His long-term rainwater monitoring project, which has tracked acidity levels since 1976, recently had its funding cut.

"If we don't have the funding for research to look at what's happening, we are just blind," Likens said. "It's an awful way for the country to go." 

Why is acid rain concerning?

Acid rain forms when pollution from coal-fired power plants reacts with water and oxygen in the atmosphere. When it falls to Earth, it damages entire ecosystems, hurting plants, wildlife, and human health.

In the 1980s, rainfall in the U.S. was 10 times more acidic than normal, per the EPA. Lakes became too acidic to support fish, nutrients were stripped from the soil, and rain damaged trees, plants, and buildings. 

While acidity levels have fallen by 85% since their peak in the 1970s, as The Guardian observed, soil in many areas remains degraded.

Heavier pollution also means breathing dirtier air and drinking potentially contaminated water. With these rollbacks, increasingly clear skies could again be filled with smog in cities across America.

Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always 💯 Yes — often 😷 Yes — sometimes 😟 No — never 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

What's being done about acid rain?

The 1990 update to the Clean Air Act that targeted acid rain by reducing power plant pollution passed with strong bipartisan support. 

"Acid rain is an example of a major environmental success story — the public spoke up and the politicians listened," Likens told The Guardian.

Staying informed about environmental policy changes can help protect this progress, and contacting your representatives to voice your support for clean air standards can encourage efforts to safeguard crucial laws and regulations. 

At home, reducing your power consumption and choosing clean energy sources can decrease the pollutants that cause acid rain.

A full return to acid rain is perhaps unlikely because cleaner renewable energy sources now make up a percentage of power production and coal is being phased out in many areas. But supporting these cleaner energy alternatives can help maintain the air quality improvements we've achieved over the past decades.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.