This Is Your Brain on Pollution (Update)

As the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations, we revisit a 2022 episode that explored the hidden cost of an invisible threat: air pollution.   SOURCES: Angela Duckworth , psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania. Michael Greenstone , economist at the University of Chicago, director of the Energy Policy Institute, co-director of the Climate Impact Lab. Stephan Heblich , economist at the University of Toronto. Andrea La Nauze , economist at Deakin University. Steve Levitt , professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago. Edson Severnini , economist at Boston College.   RESOURCES: " Most Polluted Cities ," (American Lung Association, 2026). " Air Pollution and Adult Cognition: Evidence from Brain Training ," by Andrea La Nauze and Edson Severnini (Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 2025). " Air Pollution and Student Performance in the U.S. ," by Michael Gilraine and Angela Zheng ( NBER Working Papers, 2022). " Billions of people still breathe unhealthy air: new WHO data ," (World Health Organization, 2022). " Evolution of the Clean Air Act ," by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (2020). " The Death of U.K. Coal in Five Charts ," by Hannah Ritchie ( Our World in Data, 2019). " The Colour of Pollution ," ( The Economist, 2014). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.