Mind-Boggling Facts
| Earth Day asks us to renew a commitment to positive change. On the 28th anniversary of the event, there are still plenty of problems to face. The Global Action Center, an environmental advocacy group, has pulled together some "mind bogglers" on the issues. Below is a summary of some of them. The hyperlinks lead to additional information on the Center's site. | |
 | Air: According to the World Health Organization and the U.N. Environment Programme, 625 million people are regularly exposed to unhealthy levels of sulfur dioxide from the burning of fossil fuel. |
 | Water: Twenty-five years after the passage of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that 40 percent of rivers, lakes, and streams surveyed are still too polluted for fishing and swimming. |
 | Energy: The United States imports more than seven million barrels of oil per day. Imported oil is the single largest component of the U.S. trade deficit. |
 | Hazardous Waste: Each year, Americans send 180 million gallons of motor oil to the landfill or pour it down drains — the equivalent of 16 Exxon Valdez spills. |
 | Population And Human Rights: Each year, the population grows by numbers equivalent to the combined citizenry of Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. |
 | Habitat: In the past 200 years, the United States has lost 50 percent of its wetlands, 90 percent of its northwestern old-growth forests, 99 percent of its tallgrass prairie, and up to 490 species of native plants and animals. |
 | Climate: The hole in the ozone now spans 7.7 million square miles. Every one percent reduction in the ozone layer is believed to cause a two percent increase in the number of skin cancer cases. |
| If these facts make you want to speak up on the issues, the Global Action Center has information on how to write your elected representatives or otherwise take action. Many environmentalists believe that, unless the shift to a sustainable economy happens within the next few decades, the Earth will pass the point of no return. | |
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Written by Curtis Grisham with graphic design by Laura Holder