Smog and Sunshine

Name: Smog and Sunshine
Price: 44.95 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9780520387393

The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air

Ann Carlson

$44.95

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

University of California Press
07 April 2026

Urban communities; Global warming; Urban & municipal planning; Environmental science, engineering & technology

A stirring account of one of our greatest environmental success stories: cleaning up Southern California's air.

Los Angeles and smog have been synonymous for decades. From the 1940s through the 1980s, children breathed air so heavy with lead that their blood was poisoned with it. In 1970 officials declared smog alerts on 235 days. But the last smog alert happened in 2003, and lead has virtually disappeared from the air. This is the story of how Los Angeles cleaned up its air.

In Smog and Sunshine, environmental law expert and LA native Ann Carlson recounts the dramatic policy fights and the determined scientists, lawyers, and community members who worked alongside public officials to face off against major polluters and save their city. In a time of unprecedented climate change and skepticism about government and science, this book is an inspiring reminder of what concerned residents, individual leaders, and all levels of government can achieve by working together.

By: Ann Carlson
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9780520387393
ISBN 10: 0520387392
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 07 April 2026
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Ann Carlson is Shirley Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law at the UCLA School of Law and former Acting Administrator and Chief Counsel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.