Andrew Hagen

Today is Earth Day. (*) If you want to do one thing for the environment, and aren’t yet registered to vote, then the first thing you should do is get registered. (†) Every vote matters, as we learned in 2000. Only 559 days to go until the next Presidential election. Remember to vote. Always.

One of the great problems of today for the human race is the mass extinction of species. (‡) Millions of species and one-quarter of all mammals stand at the chopping block thanks to humanity’s rapacious appetite for resources. The long-term danger is, of course, that as the planet enjoys less and less biodiversity, it will become less livable and hospitable, even for human beings.

The latest Rachel’s Weekly carries a report by Bette Hileman of the American Chemical Society. She reports that cancer in US children has increased at a rate of 1% per year since the early 1970s. Other serious pediatric conditions, such as asthma, are also on the rise. (§) Many of these problems are attributable to the prevalence of certain destructive chemicals in the environment. Meanwhile, the American Chemical Council plans to spend $50 million to refurbish the chemical industry’s public image.

A recent study finds that the US government’s threshold for lead levels in children is still too high. Even exposure to a tiny amount of lead can harm a child, and even do permanent damage. (**)

President George W. Bush’s track record on environmental issues is atrocious. The Sierra Club offers the Big Book of Bush, full of entertaining tidbits on Bush’s misguided environmental policies. (††)

Happy Earth Day, everybody.

Update: 23 April 2003. It’s nice to see a puncturing of the Bush Administration’s environmental doublespeak. (‡‡)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2003 at 17:35 and is filed under Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.