Image: Smog mixed with a thick layer of clouds covers the Metro Manila skyline in the Philippines on Aug. 27. Photo by Melvin James Urubio/NurPhoto/via Getty Images

Jonathan Lambert of NPR reports: “Since 2008, the State Department’s monitoring initiative has expanded to more than 80 embassies and consulates. Research suggests that monitoring contributed to measurable improvements in air quality, especially across many low- and middle-income countries with limited monitoring systems of their own.

But in March 2025, the Trump administration shuttered that program, citing monetary costs. Research out this week suggests the move had health costs for the people living in those countries. Over the several months following the shutdown, air pollution levels measured via satellite increased by 24-33%, researchers reported Monday in the journal PNAS…”

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