Tracking Environmental Progress - Earth Day 2005

Deborah Seligsohn
Counselor for Environment, Science, Technology and Health, U.S. Embassy Beijing

Posted on Apr 22, 2005

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans gathered to celebrate the first Earth Day. They forged a grass-roots movement to clean up the environment and protect it from future harm. Many Americans continue to renew their commitment to the natural environment on this annual occasion. As we mark the 35th anniversary of Earth Day, citizens of the United States will reflect on how we can work together to improve our environment, by joining a local environmental project, resolving to walk or ride a bike to work, or even to plant a tree.

There is plenty of good news this Earth Day. The quality of U.S. air and water is far better today than on the first Earth Day in 1970. In the last 30 years, our nation's economy has grown more than 170 percent while energy consumption grew only 45 percent. In other words, the amount of energy used to produce each dollar of economic growth decreased by 44 percent.

What's more, pollution from the six primary air pollutants dropped by more than 50 percent. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds and lead emissions have been reduced from more than 300 million tons per year to less than 150 million.

In 1970, Americans were concerned over the rate of deforestation in the United States. But today the amount of U.S. forest land, some of it the product of commercial forestry, is approximately the same as 100 years ago. Some 76 million acres (about 31 million hectares) are held in "reserve," managed as national parks and wilderness. Much of the protected forests in the West are in stands more than 100 years old. President Bush's Healthy Forests Initiative is instrumental in maintaining that protection from disease, infestation and fire, and in restoring our forests to their natural beauty and conditions.

In 1970 we were only beginning to understand the critical role of wetlands in preserving wildlife, coastal fisheries, and in assuring water quality and controlling floods. Not content with solely protecting existing wetlands, President Bush has set an aggressive new national goal to have an overall increase of wetlands in America each year. The President hopes to create, improve, and protect at least three million wetland acres over the next five years. We are making steady progress in achieving that objective.

Since that first Earth Day, American business has clearly discovered the benefits of becoming more environmentally engaged. Energy efficient products are appealing to consumers. Companies that are committed to lessening their environmental "footprint" through eco-friendly manufacturing enjoy greater consumer support. Congressional incentives are available for business practices that promote recycling. Environmental costs and consequences are now a routine line item in the cost of doing business. And environmental management systems are being implemented, marking a fundamental shift in corporate thinking from where it was 40 years ago. Incorporating environmental considerations into daily operational plans isn't just good business anymore - it's smart business.

The United States is working to build on the results of the last 30 years. For example, government and industry agreed on using reformulated diesel fuel and adjusted engines to dramatically cut particulate matter and nitrogen oxides in diesel exhaust. Now we are applying the same regulations to non-road engines, that is, diesel engines used in industries such as construction, agriculture and mining. These measures will produce some of the most dramatic advancements in clean air protection since passage of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. New stringent pollution controls will slash sulfur content in diesel fuel and cut emissions from nonroad diesel equipment by more than 90 percent.

Continued progress means harnessing human ingenuity and market forces. The Bush Administration is currently working to build on the successful cap and trade rules that since 1990 have reduced sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions by about 40 percent. And they did this at half the cost of traditional approaches to curbing SO2 emissions. ("Cap and trade" refers to a system where a maximum limit is set for harmful emissions. Portions of that limited amount are allocated to participants who then are free to buy and sell those rights after the initial allocation.) President Bush's Clear Skies legislation would rely on similar market mechanisms to cut SO2 emissions another 73 percent. Emissions of nitrogen oxides would be reduced by 67 percent, and mercury emissions would be cut by 69 percent. The cap and trade system, with its incentives for early reductions, will ensure that improvements come sooner and cost less.

We have learned much about our planet since 1970, and have a lot more to learn. While environmental quality in the United States is steadily improving because of the development and use of newer, cleaner technologies, we must turn an eye to developing nations and work to provide solutions to their ever-mounting environmental challenges.

In 2002, President George W. Bush pledged to "work with nations, especially the poor and developing nations, to show the world that there is a better approach, that we can build our future prosperity along a cleaner and better path." To that end, the United States is committed to developing new technologies and expertise and sharing them with developing economies. The 2005 U.S. federal budget included $5.2 billion for activities related to climate change - an increase of almost 14 percent -- with more than $200 million for technology transfer to developing countries. U.S. states and localities are also involved in making commitments through their own budgets.

At the 2002 United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, world leaders, including delegates from the United States, committed to work for better water and sanitation, modernized energy sources, improved public health, more productive agriculture and better protection and management of natural resources.

With vibrant, growing economies, the United States and the People’s Republic of China are the two largest energy users in the world, accounting for over 35 percent of global energy consumption. Together, they also account for 25 percent of the world’s population, one eighth of its landmass and a combined 34,000 kilometers of coastline. Recognizing the resulting importance of U.S.-China partnerships in the area of environmental protection, U.S. and Chinese government agencies are cooperating on a broad range of issues.

The U.S. Department of State and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working together to address the challenge of the global climate. To reduce air pollution from rising energy consumption, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, along with the Chinese State Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Science and Technology and National Development and Reform Commission are working on a range of projects. As both countries rely heavily on coal for electricity generation, development and implementation of clean coal technologies promises great improvements in air quality. In the transportation sector, cooperation on introducing fuel cell and natural gas vehicles is helping reduce the impact of growing automobile ownership.

To safeguard water and land resources, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources are improving water protection and management. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Chinese State Oceanic Administration are cooperating on coastal management. The U.S. Forest Service and Chinese State Forestry Administration are promoting sustainable logging practices. Through these and many other initiatives, the United States and the People’s Republic of China are sharing resources, technologies and expertise to promote economic growth without environmental degradation.

This Earth Day, we should celebrate the remarkable progress we have made over the last three decades, but we should continue to be mindful of the challenges ahead. Every nation in the world shares the goal of a cleaner, safer and healthier environment, and our continued cooperation worldwide today will surely result in an even better tomorrow.