Data source for graphs: EPAFrom the first Earth Day in 1970:
“Air pollution is certainly going to take hundreds of thousands of lives in the next few years alone,” Paul Ehrlich in an interview in Mademoiselle magazine, April 1970.
Ehrlich also predicted that in 1973, 200,000 Americans would die from air pollution, and that by 1980 the life expectancy of Americans would be 42 years.
“By 1985, air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half...” Life magazine, January 1970.
Most Earth Day predictions turned out to be stunningly wrong. In 1970, environmentalists said there would soon be a new ice age and massive deaths from air pollution. The New York Times foresaw the extinction of the human race. Widely-quoted biologist Paul Ehrlich predicted worldwide starvation by 1975.
MP: Consider that since the first Earth Day in 1970, U.S. population has increased by 50.25%, miles driven has increased by 159% and real GDP has increased 203%; and yet air quality is better than ever.
Via Mark Perry, Carpe Diem
Better than ever?! That's an outrageous comment.
ReplyDeleteYour graphs only go back thirty years, buddy. That's not exactly a great representation when you're talking about the great "Mother Earth". In fact, it's pathetic.
We agreed before that pollution was at its worse during the Industrial Revolution. So, what are you trying to show us by putting up graphs of the last thirty years?
I mean hell, maybe you should be giving credit to this Ehrlich character. He started Earth Day in 1970, and fancy that, from 1980 till now, in fact our air has improved. Perhaps the general awareness has in fact HELPED with this.
You're right, being forced to deal with all this by Obama is not right. However, I do fully support the paradigm shift that is and will continue to occur. There is no reason not to cut back on wasteful habits, and make easy changes in the average American's lifestyle.
I'm still waiting on a response to that email I sent you before you headed off to Duluth, too...