ABSTRACT
Air pollution is frequently the stated reason for special measures for controlling motor vehicles. In the United States, motor vehicle emission standards are set explicitly in clean air legislation, while policies at several levels of government are designed to reduce the use of cars for particular purposes like commuting. A pollutant emitted into the atmosphere changes the spatial and temporal patterns of ambient concentrations of that pollutant and perhaps others. These patterns are determined by atmospheric conditions, topographical features and the presence of other natural or man-made chemicals in the air. Economists widely accept the principle that in market economies the social cost of a change in economic outcomes is most usefully measured by the sum of individuals’ willingness to pay for that change, given their current economic circumstances. Ozone in the lower atmosphere is created through complex chemical reactions involving volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides.
