Another dramatic manifestation of the cause and effect relationship between energy and environment can be seen-literally-in the Los Angeles basin, where the enormous reliance on automobiles has taken a severe toll on air quality. A recent plan to reduce ozone in the Los Angeles air basin calls for a 75-percent reduction in the emission of nitrogen oxides and reactive organic gases using unspecified technologies. Many have questioned the cost and technical feasibility of this plan. To provide a better understanding of ozone-formation in air basins, Berkeley Lab scientists have begun to develop an ambitious computer model. This model will enable users to investigate-through computer simulations-alternative ozone reduction strategies that could prove more practical and cost-effective than the current plan for Los Angeles. Early in its development, the model has already been used to demonstrate that reducing emissions to different levels in different areas of the basin would achieve the same air quality as the current strategy with only modest controls required. For example, emissions reductions of 30 to 50-percent in select basin areas yield air quality results comparable to the 75-percent basin-wide reductions now proposed.
