The Good Earth

The planet is greener and cleaner than you think.

Now, That's Good News

So here's the good news: Our air is cleaner, our lakes are purer, our forests are healthier, endangered species are recovering, toxic emissions are down, and acid rain has diminished dramatically. And yet, if you've looked at a newspaper or watched the evening news lately, you -- like most Americans -- might think our environment is under siege. Media coverage of the environment is heavy on doomsday, but the truth is not at all bleak: Nearly all environmental trends in the United States are positive and have been for years -- if not decades.

Eco-legislation, green organizations, corporate cooperation and new inventions have all quietly steered our environment in a positive direction. We can't afford to be complacent, though -- especially when it comes to greenhouse gases, since global warming is the one huge problem we haven't really tackled. But almost every measure taken by government agencies and grass-roots efforts to improve the environment has shown encouraging results -- usually faster than expected and at a lower cost. Now that's good news.

Scientists and environmentalists think that even the worrisome fact of global warming can be ameliorated. There is a strong scientific consensus that the global warming threat requires action, but if current environmental trends persist and the reduction of most pollutants continues to be accomplished faster and more cheaply than expected, we may be able to control and reduce greenhouse gases in both affordable and practical ways.

Consider some of the environmental improvements the United States has witnessed over the last three decades. (Most environmental trends in Europe are positive too; the developing world, however, is a different story.)

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• Talkin' Trash
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• Energy Savings Strategy
• 8 Steps to lower your gas and electric bills.
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• Are You an Eco Hero?
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