Happy Earth Day!

Patrick at Ankle Biting Pundits marks Earth Day in his own way, by pointing out that Americans aren't buying the Chicken Little argument.

The WSJ tells us the ways in which the world is getting cleaner:

Since 1970, carbon monoxide emissions in the U.S. are down 55%, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Particulate emissions are down nearly 80%, and sulfur dioxide emissions have been reduced by half. Lead emissions have declined more than 98%. All of this has been accomplished despite a doubling of the number of cars on the road and a near-tripling of the number of miles driven, according to Steven Hayward of the Pacific Research Institute.

Mr. Hayward compiles the "Index of Leading Environmental Indicators" published around Earth Day each year by PRI and the American Enterprise Institute. It serves as an instructive antidote for the doom and gloom that normally pervades environmental coverage, especially of late.

Here's the Index, itself.

And, the Commons Blog notes a NYT article that suggests the alarmist campaign is "going overboard," and includes more scientific skepticism than the Times usually shows.

I used to mark Earth Day by going to a little street festival in my hometown. A street festival, during which the people of Durham invariably racked up dumpster upon dumpster of waste (although I'm sure it was all biodegradable), most of which didn't even make it into the trash cans. The irony was not lost on me.