> It would be far, far cheaper to decrease pollution than to build airtight seals around every living space
But it could be cheaper for the inhabitants of a few living spaces to build airtight seals around their own living spaces only than to contribute to the cost of decreasing air pollution worldwide, something you suggest might happen when you say...
> Or the rich/powerful will live in expensive, isolated structures while everyone else suffers
A city's residents and a country's citizens tend to act in short-term self-interest, and taking part in worldwide pollution control is a long-term solution that gives up a lot to developing countries like China and India who expect the developed world to bear the greatest costs because they've already reaped the greatest benefits from polluting and causing climate change.
But it could be cheaper for the inhabitants of a few living spaces to build airtight seals around their own living spaces only than to contribute to the cost of decreasing air pollution worldwide, something you suggest might happen when you say...
> Or the rich/powerful will live in expensive, isolated structures while everyone else suffers
A city's residents and a country's citizens tend to act in short-term self-interest, and taking part in worldwide pollution control is a long-term solution that gives up a lot to developing countries like China and India who expect the developed world to bear the greatest costs because they've already reaped the greatest benefits from polluting and causing climate change.