Boilers burning dirty heating oils No. 4 and No. 6 produce 50% more air pollution than all of the cars and trucks in New York City and contribute to more than 3, 200 premature deaths every year, according to recent reports by the Environmental Defense Fund and the New York City Department of Health.

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If we could go one step further and reduce air pollution in affected communities by cutting emissions from cars, trucks and dirty industries, the impact would be even greater.

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That is because cars produce local air pollution, which damages human health and the environment, and also produce greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming.

ECONOMIST: Burning issue

In all, cars and trucks account for almost one-third of the total air pollution in the United States.

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