Talking Points on the Environment #16

Common Myths About Mother Earth

• Myth: Due to the lack of strict government controls on logging in the "greedy" 1980s, America's forests are disappearing at an unprecedented rate.
  • Reality: In the mid-1980s forests covered only 35% of Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut, but today forest coveragehas expanded to over 59% of each state. As capitalist countries increase in wealth, so does their concern for the environment. Timber companies have a vested interest in maintaining their livelihood, so they plant plenty of trees.

• Myth: America's urban air quality is poor and it is getting worse.
  • Reality: Air quality has improved dramatically in the past 20 years, and it is only getting better. Americans living in areas that failed federal air quality standards dropped from 100 million to 54 million between 1982 and 1992. In addition, as a result of lead-free gasoline for automobiles, lead pollutant airborne levels have decreased by 96% since 1975.

• Myth: Acid rain is more dangerous and more prevalent than at any time since the start of the Industrial Revolution.
  • Reality: The "dangers" of acid rain have always been exaggerated, and any threat that did exist has diminished considerably. A decade-long government study concluded "no evidence of a general or unusual decline of forests in the United States or Canada due to acid rain." Originally, more than 50% of U.S. lakes were believed to have high acidity levels, but in reality only 4% do. U.S. industry emitted 28 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere in 1970 (the acid found in acid rain). By the year 2000, the emissions will be reduced to less than 9 million tons.

• Myth: The single greatest threat to "Mother Earth" is the eco-mess that mankind leaves in the name of industrial progress.
  • Reality: Environmentalists often use mankind as a scapegoat for "Mother Earth's" own big mess. In 1991, Mt. Pinatubo erupted spewing more sulfur dioxide into the air over a few hours than all U.S. industry combined for an entire year.

Information from: "And Now the Good News About the Environment," by Robert Samuelson, The Washington Times, April 1995

Issue Date: April 24, 1995.

Talking Points on the Economy: Environment #16, published by The National Center for Public Policy Research, 501 Capitol Ct NE, Washington, D.C. 20002 Tel. (202) 543-4110, Fax (202)543-5975, info@nationalcenter.org, http://www.nationalcenter/inter.net. For more information about Talking Points on the Economy: Environment #16 contact Bob Adams at 202/543-4110 or EPTF@AOL.com.

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