Tracing a century of pollution and transnational collaboration in the Paso del Norte air basin.

The air knows no borders, which makes atmospheric pollution a devilish legal and environmental challenge. The problem is especially dangerous in the Paso del Norte, where the industry and urbanization of Juárez-El Paso stretch across the international boundary, and surrounding mountains trap airborne pollutants. Laura Uribarri traces the nineteenth- and twentieth-century transformations of the region, uncovering the sources of pollution and analyzing transnational efforts to regulate and improve the air.

Border Air shows how a favorable location, rail expansion, and numerous trade and labor agreements made Juárez-El Paso a global manufacturing hub, leading to unfettered growth and declining air quality. By the mid-1990s, El Paso and Juárez ranked among the most polluted cities on the continent. Environmental treaties crafted in Washington and Mexico City made little difference. But fronterizos themselves had an impact. Uribarri focuses on the Paso del Norte Air Quality Task Force, a citizen group that pioneered successful mitigation projects such as working with emitters to design cleaner production methods without disrupting workers’ livelihoods. This history shows what can be accomplished at the grassroots and offers lessons on how border communities can collaborate to address complex environmental problems.

Laura M. Uribarri is an associate professor and Program Director for Healthcare Management at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.