Smedley is a problem solver, discussing hopeful stories of improving air quality before he has even finished his prologue ... In a news cycle that increasingly informs us that all hope is lost, it is uplifting to read that Smedley, an award-winning sustainability journalist, does not think so.
... a shocking litany of damaged lives, laid bare by Smedley in stark and vivid terms. [Smedley is] clearly motivated by concern for [his] own children and [he] rightly links the crisis we face from polluted air to the catastrophe that is already being triggered by global warming ... prescriptive and ends his book with a detailed blueprint for saving our cities.
... exceedingly readable ... supporters of diesel fuel are going to be hard pressed to defend their position in the face of this factual onslaught ... Smedley provides a way out of our international air-pollution nightmare, offering a handy 'Clean Air Blueprint.' This important work from a determined writer will inspire many.
... dense but illuminating ... light on narrative but stuffed with alarming data, a stitched-together collection of lightly edited mini-lectures from dozens of scientists, health experts, clean air advocates, and officials, punctuated by brief personal asides and vignettes.
[Smedley] is honest enough to say that he knew air pollution was bad in London but paid little attention to it until his own child was born. While harrowing, his narrative is compromised by a surfeit of statistics and technical details, and the book is not helped by type-dense pages ... Sadly...treat[s] air pollution in relative isolation ...
In Clearing the Air , journalist Tim Smedley examines the blight of air pollution and puts forward his vision for how we can tackle the problem on a personal and societal level. He begins by introducing us to common forms of pollution: NOx gases, SO2, ozone and particulate matter being some of the worst offenders. This is followed by a brief but fascinating history of air pollution, stretching back to the first uses of fire by early societies.
... [a] disappointing layperson’s guide ... the predominantly British sources and interviewees give a lopsided feel to a global problem. Meanwhile, Smedley’s recommended fixes—for commuters to 'quit our car habit,' cities to increase 'green space,' and be more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly, and governments to pass more stringent regulations—tend to the tiresomely obvious. This well-intentioned call to action is, unfortunately, unlikely to have much effect on an important public health issue.
