Did you know kids breathe up to seven times more air than adults? According to the American Lung Association, when they breathe smog, it’s like getting a sunburn on their airways, and can possibly provoke asthma attacks, stunt their growing lungs, and could even lead to cancer.
We have good news on the horizon: Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new rules to curb power plants’ emissions of carbon pollution, which traps the heat that literally "cooks up" smog.
But we can't celebrate yet. There's still much work to be done before we have cleaner air for our kids. Big corporate polluters are fighting back against these rules with attack ads, lawsuits, and lobbyists. In fact, pro-polluting bigwigs had already asked the White House to shut down these rules even before they’d been proposed!
We need to fight back against corporate polluters by showing the Obama administration that families across this county are standing up for clean air for kids! Sign on to our petition that reads:
"I support clean air for kids and carbon pollution limits for new and modified power plants."
http://action.momsrising.org/sign/2012-Carbon-Rule1/
The nation’s foremost doctors and health experts — including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and Physicians for Social Responsibility — all call for “the strongest possible standards to reduce mercury and air toxics from coal- and oil-fired power plants.”
Why is this needed?
About 7 million American children suffer from asthma, and breathing smog increases the risk for asthma attacks.
37 million children live in areas where the air is unhealthy, and kids who breathe polluted air can lose up to 15% decrease in lung function compared to children who grow up where the air is less polluted.
Each year, asthma accounts for more than 500,000 hospitalizations, 44% of which are children.
Together we are stronger than corporate lobbyists! Give the EPA and the White House the encouragement they need to stand up to the hordes of corporate lobbyists waiting to take down this great new rule by signing on to our petition:
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