“40 Million IQ Points: The neurological cost of smokestack and tailpipe pollution.”

To be clear, existing science does not establish a clear causal relationship between industrial chemical exposure and neurodevelopmental delay for most potentially neurotoxic chemicals. This standard of scientific proof, however, has left an entire generation of American children exposed to elevated lead levels. We’ve known methylmercury is neurotoxic since 1972, but it is still being emitted widely. And now, 1 in 6 American children has a neurodevelopmental impairment. But again these are simply statistical associations. We may know that exposure to certain chemicals is associated with increased risk of harm, but correlation is not proof of harm. However, the stakes are extraordinary. While we are gathering scientific evidence, a potential generation of American children may be suffering neurologic harm from industrial chemicals.

Let’s turn the lens to where we live. Smart city growth is not a war between regulation and prosperity. Austin is growing rapidly, and sits at an important crossroads. McKinsey Global Institute has robustly found that leaders who make important strides in improving their cities, no matter their starting point, do three things really well – they achieve smart growth, do more with less, and win support for change. Smart growth means integrating the environment into economic decision making.