Show Environment Worse orse Americas America's environmental problems grew considerably worse during the past year in spite of exploding public concern and abundant political political political ical promises of remedial action THAT IS the grim conclusion conclusion conclusion sion of the National Wildlife Federations Federation's second annual National Environmental Quality Quality Quality ity Index in the October No vember issue of National Wildlife Magazine The EQ Index calls the country's increasingly poison poison- ed air the most serious environmental environmental environmental en en- problem Automobiles Automobiles Auto Auto- Automobiles mobiles power plants and industry are cited as the three major air 0 polluters they have helped make lung cancer cater and emphysema the fastest growing causes of death in the United States VIRTUALLY Y every stream river lake and estuary in the Nation is polluted to some degree and getting worse Industries are responsible responsible responsible sible for 60 percent of t the h e water pollution cities 25 per per- cent and agriculture 15 per per- cent The EQ Index says enforcement enforcement enforcement en en- of existing laws would go a long way toward cleaning up the Nations Nation's wa wa- The EQ mineral index indicates indicates indicates in in- the US with only 57 percent of the worlds world's population population population tion uses 30 percent of all minerals extracted from the earth by the end of the century the N Nation Nation Na Na- a- a tion will have exhausted its own known reserves of such vital minerals as uranium lead zinc crude oil and natural gas THINGS ARE getting worse for the Nations Nation's wildlife too During the past year 13 species have been added to the endangered list bringing bringing bringing bring bring- ing the total to Widespread Widespread Widespread Wide Wide- spread use of persistent pesticides pesticides pesticides pest pest- and loss of natural habitat are accelerating the disappearance of many ani ani- ani- ani mals Although the quality of living living living liv liv- ing space rates fairly high on the EQ Index the trend is down do Population problems problems problems lems complicated by more highways more no noise noise se pollution pollution pollution tion and more solid waste make future projections unpleasant unpleasant unpleasant un un- un- un pleasant for all ONLY TIMBER resources gained a bit over the 1969 Index due largely to Congressional Congressional Congressional rejection of legislation that would have increased timber cutting in National Forests However a recent Presidential order allowing increased increased increased in in- creased cutting may wipe out the small gains Soil is still the Nations Nation's least damaged resource but even here the trend is down Every year a million half-million acres of productive land is covered with concrete and other vast areas are being degraded by chemicals and THE TilE OVERALL downward trend demonstrated by the 1970 EQ Index emphasizes the somber fact that despite all the recent fanfare environmental environmental environmental environ environ- mental problems are getting worse not better Federation Director Thomas L. L Kimball warns The liThe American public must not let the current volume of political political political cal rhetoric mislead it into believing our environmental problems are being solved Flowery speeches laced with good intentions have yet to clean up the first bit of pol pol- pol- pol lution We must demand performance performance performance per per- not promises |