IEA: Environmentalism
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Facts on Environmentalism:
- Over half (53%) of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were lost between the late 1700s and mid 1980s. About 100 million acres of wetlands remain today tin the lower 48, representing less than 5% of the landmass in the continental United States.
- Every ton of paper made from recycled materials saves about 17 trees.
- Recycling a glass jar saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.
- Less than 1% of Chinese cities have clean air. Respiratory disease is the leading cause of death in China.
- Although the use of lead in U.S. gasoline has declined since 1985, other sources inject about 2 billon kilograms of lead into the atmosphere in this country each year. An estimated 1.7 million children in the U.S. have unacceptably high levels of lead in their blood.
- The U.S. could save 33 million gallons of gasoline each day if the average commuter-passenger-load were increased by one person.
- Rainforests are being destroyed at a staggering rate. According to the National Academy of Science, at least 50 million acres a year are lost, an area the size of England, Wales, and Scotland combined.
Where to Learn More:
- US Environmental Protection Agency
The Envirofacts Warehouse allows you to retrieve information from EPA databases on Air, Chemicals, Facility Information, Grants/Funding, Hazardous Waste, Risk Management Plans, Superfund, Toxic Releases, Water Permits, Drinking Water Contamination Occurence, and Drinking Water Microbial and Disinfecton Byproduct Information.
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- The Sierra Club
- World Wildlife Federation
