This interview with Gene Likens provides a first-hand account of the discovery, attribution and mitigation of acid rain as a major transboundary environmental problem. Likens describes the initial observations at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in 1963, where precipitation acidity was found to be orders of magnitude higher than expected. The discussion traces the subsequent identification of sulphur and nitrogen emissions from fossil fuel combustion in the Midwestern United States, transported atmospherically to the northeastern US and beyond.
The conversation highlights the integration of ecosystem science, atmospheric chemistry and policy engagement that led to the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. It also examines resistance from industry, including deliberate strategies to delay regulatory action, and reflects on the role of scientific communication tools such as spatial mapping and visual media in shaping public and political understanding.
Finally, the interview situates acid rain mitigation as a rare environmental policy success and considers its implications for contemporary challenges.
Filmed in collaboration with the American Philosophical Society.
