Facts and science are behind emissions standards.
Remember the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China?
Following that debacle, even they made changes (extreme, even) following that and supposedly is among the cities with good air quality now.
Took some time, but the 2022 Olympics were remarkably different.
Cleaner water, cleaner air can be taken for granted when we have it.
But when we don't the consequences can be far reaching, health compromising, and difficult to redress.
Keep in mind that not everyone has the same tolerances for toxins.
(kids, elderly and allergy-prone individuals for instance)
The problem WE have is that we keep referring to things as an ALL -or- NOTHING.
I don't want California level emissions bureaucracy but neither want (old) China level standards either.
Instead of getting constantly whiplashed between one extreme or the other, how about we begin to make SMARTER decisions about management with a mix of independence at the consumer level, and standards at the development and manufacturing levels?