By Scott Nystrom
Originally Published February 25, 2026
How does U.S. industry stack up on air pollution? Building on our work on carbon intensity, this report compares traditional pollutants like SO₂, NOₓ, CO, and PM2.5 across major economies.
The results show how “pollution efficient” U.S. production is relative to global competitors.
Key takeaways:
- U.S. industry is significantly less pollution-intensive than most major trading partners across all four pollutants.
- On a per-dollar basis, countries including China, India, Vietnam, Mexico, and Canada emit substantially more industrial air pollution than the United States.
- The results build on the Council’s broader body of work showing that U.S. manufacturing is not only carbon-efficient, but also comparatively “pollution efficient.”