Hollywood isn’t just pumping out lots of mediocre TV shows and mindless movies. It’s also pumping out lots of air pollutants according to a new report from the UCLA Institute of the Environment. Fortunately for Hollywood, only petroleum manufacturing spews more pollutants. Despite the occasional celebrity tooling around in his or her Prius, a few hours of entertainment means a lot of pollution in our air (via the L.A. Times):
The report found that the film and television industry emits a whopping 140,000 tons a year of ozone and diesel particulate pollutant emissions from trucks, generators, special effects earthquakes and fires, demolition of sets with dynamite and other sources.
And regulation isn’t coming any time soon. Right now, any regulations are self-imposed, and many fear that any regulations would mean production would go elsewhere, leaving thousands of hangers-on to draw unemployment. We can still afford a BMW on that, right?
· Another Hollywood Production: Smog [L.A. Times]
· Despite Some Efforts, Hollywood is Found to be a Major Polluter [Daily Breeze]