What Are the Causes of Air Pollution in Los Angeles?

Although the words "Los Angeles" have become synonymous with "smog," it wasn't always that way. In July of 1943, a shocked city was blanketed with what is now referred to as smog. In the years since, people have tried everything, from technology to legislation to stem the L.A. smog problem.

Causes of Air Pollution

• According to the U.S. Department of Energy, pollution is an overabundance of dust and gases, such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, in the air. Although many of these gases (like carbon dioxide) occur naturally, human activities---like burning fossil fuels in power plants and vehicles---have greatly increased their presence in the atmosphere.

Human Influences

• The National Resources Defense Council states that coal-burning power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon dioxide, producing 2.5 billion tons per year. Second on that list are automobiles, which produce 1.5 billion tons annually.

  An IBM study, released in June of 2010, concluded Los Angeles had the worst traffic of any American city. And conditions don't look like they will improve. Estimates have stated that by 2030, Los Angeles will have seven million cars on the road each day.

Natural Influences

• Situated between the San Gabriel Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Los Angeles is in the perfect location for summer smog. Cool sea breezes, the mountains and a typically high barometric pressure often combine to create a sort of natural box, from which pollutants can't escape. Los Angeles, sitting at the bottom of the box, is often blanketed in smog created by emissions of drivers and factories.