Atlanta's Air Pollution Problem & What You Can Do About It Skip to content

Atlanta’s Air Pollution Problem + What You Can Do About It 

Tough, but true: every car trip you take contributes to air pollution in Atlanta. You’re not the only factor (shipping, trains, air travel, and other transportation makes up a total of 28% of America’s air pollution,) but you are in control of your ride! That means you can take steps to reduce air pollution right where you’re breathing. Take the challenge and track trips with MyGCO to win some commuting goodies.  

What can I do about air pollution?

Mostly, the concern over car emissions is about ground-level ozone pollution and particle pollution. Ground-level ozone can damage your airways and lungs, worsen asthma, and harm vegetation, especially on hot days. Particle pollution is exactly what it sounds like: tiny pieces of soot, metals, sulfuric acid, or many other irritants that will damage your lungs and make it harder to breathe deeply.  

Your car emits harmful carbon monoxide, particle pollutants, and creates ground-level ozone with every drive you take. The amount varies based on your car, but passenger vehicles also emit carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. Changing your transport option can do a lot—for both you and your environment.  

How does my car pollute?

If your company cares about sustainability, employee wellness, or even recruitment and retention—you need to be paying attention to how your employees get to work. 

Transportation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S, and how your team gets to work every day directly contributes to your organization’s carbon footprint. It’s time to bring commuting into the sustainability conversation. 

This Earth Month, Shift invites employers to: 

  • Evaluate how employee commutes align—or conflict—with your sustainability goals 
  • Understand your team’s travel patterns and emissions 
  • Partner with Shift to explore solutions that lower your impact 

We’ll help you launch clean commute strategies that not only reduce emissions but also support recruitment, retention, morale, and your bottom line. Because how your people get to work shouldn’t be an afterthought—it should be part of your business strategy. 

Is Atlanta’s air unhealthy?

Most days, your weather app says Atlanta’s air pollution is at a safe and healthy level. If you’re a long-time native, you might remember that that’s an accomplishment. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Atlanta was famous for heavy pollution from population growth and heavy reliance on cars to get everyone around the city. That changed with Georgia’s Clean Air Force (GCAF). They began emissions testing cars and requiring repairs for emissions over a certain level.  

Atlanta is now doing much better in terms of clean air—we’ve reduced both ozone pollution and particle pollution, two types of pollutants that cause health problems, steadily in the last few years. That’s still relative, though. Fulton County just received its first passing “D” grade for ozone pollution in 2023, and recent research proves that even “healthy” levels of air pollution causes problems for children, asthma patients, and anyone with weaker immune or respiratory systems each day.  

A “clean” commute has some extra perks: when you log trips in MyGCO, you get access to local discounts, gift card drawings, and a chance to win a free ATL Experience—like Hawks tickets or Botanical Gardens passes—every month! If you sign up in April, the prizes are even sweeter: every trip has a chance to win Atlanta Zoo or Botanical Gardens tickets, and just a few bike or transit rides will get you perks like a free bike lock or Beats headphones. Check out MyGCO’s Million Air Challenge to get started.  

Back to Insider Tips Home
More Like This