Our research shows that the benefits of environmental regulation have been underestimated. Decrease
pollution has a positive impact on unexpected areas of life.Ivan Rudik, lead author and associate professor at the Cornell School of Applied Economics and Management
To study the relationship between bird numbersand air pollution, the researchers used data from the eBird bird-watching program and combined it with information about lower-level air pollution. They tracked monthly changes in bird numbers and air quality in 3,214 US counties over 15 years.
The team also drew attention to the NOx programfrom the US Environmental Protection Agency: It aimed to protect human health by limiting ozone precursor emissions from major industrial sources.
The results of the study showed that pollutionozone is not only dangerous for humans, but also destructive for small migratory birds, for example, sparrows and babes. They make up 86% of all land bird species in North America. Ozone pollution directly harms birds by damaging their respiratory systems, and indirectly affects them by contaminating their food sources.
Without regulations and measures to reduce the ozone layer, 1.5 billion more birds could die from pollution, the authors emphasize.
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