Clearing the Air explores air pollution in England, the US, China, and India. Smedley talks about not only the causes of pollution but also potential solutions. Unlike many books on this topic, Smedly discusses the science in an easy-to-understand way. Clearing the Air also stands out because Smedly visited cities that are implementing climate change solutions, with varying degrees of success.

I lived in Shanghai during the tail end of the "Airpocalypse." Although it may sound like Smedly is exaggerating if you've never experienced that level of pollution. I assure you he is not. The smog was so thick we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces, and the filters in our masks were black after mere minutes outside. My school eventually canceled classes when the AQI reached 700. When I left China last year (2018), the air had improved dramatically. With "clean air" days far outnumbering smoggy days. Clean-air practices are effective, but is the world's population willing to change its behavior?

Smedley's thorough research leaves me confident that we still have the ability to "clear the air", as long as we act fast. Seeing as there are measurable negative health effects related to polluted air (affecting not only adult lungs, but also growing children's brains), I'm surprised more countries and companies aren't already implementing changes.