Potpourri . . .
Burnin' Up
Energy-related carbon emissions in the U.S. have reached another all-time
high in 1994. Emissions from the nation's use of fossil fuels climbed to
an estimated 1,412 million metric tons (MMT) in 1994, an increase of 41
MMT (3.0%) relative to 1993, and 74 MMT (5.5%) compared to 1990. Total U.S.
energy use in 1994 rose 6.0 percent compared to 1990. (American Council
for an Energy-Efficient Economy, January 1995, "Energy Efficiency and
Economic Indicators: Charting Improvements in the Economy and the Environment."
It adds up
An American born in the 1990s would produce in a lifetime about one million
kilograms of atmospheric wastes, ten million kilgrams of liquid wastes,
and one million kilograms of solid waste. In addition, an American will
consume 700 thousand kilgrams of minerals, and 24 billion BTUs of energy,
which is equivalent to four thousand barrels of oil. In a lifetime, an average
Amrican will eat 25 thousand kilgrams of major plant foods and 28 thousand
kilograms of animal products, provided in part by slaughtering two thousand
animals. ("The Environmental Consequences of Having a Baby in the United
States," Population and the Environment)
Why Not?
A panel assembled by the American Gastroenterological Association and sponsored
by federal health agencies and the food industry recommended that some ground
beef be irradiated before sale to kill a virulent strain of Escherischis
coli. The strain, 0157:H7, sickened over 700 customers of fast food restaurants,
killing 4 of them. (Contra Costa Times)
Life Prices and Whose Life is that Anyway?
How much does it cost to save a life? and how do we
measure? Who should measure? More attention in the new Congress will be
focused on studies such as the following: A preliminary cost-benefit study
by the Harvard School of Public Health calculated expenses in three main
categories: medical intervention, injury avoidance, and pollution control
based on 1200 U.S. government regulatory impact analyses that contain cost
and life-saving information.
Life extending medical intervention came out least expensive,
averaging $19,000 per life-year saved. Injury avoidance controls - from
seatbelts in card to ejection systems in Air Force B-58 bombers - cost an
average of $48,000 per life-year saved. Offering the poorest return on invested
dollars, environmental regulation of radiation, asbestos, lead and other
environmental hazards with a median cost of $2,782,000 per life-year saved.
Some medical procedures, such a prenatal care and childhood
immunization, cost next to nothing, while the cost for regulating asbestos
averages $1.8 million dollars for each life saved. Dr. Tammy Tengs, one
of the study's main authors claims "We could save more years of life
[overall] if we are more attentive to the cost of saving each life."
(Garbage Magazine)
A Driving Force
"The total number of household-based vehicles more
than doubled between 1969 and 1990 from 72,500,000 to 165,221,000... The
rate of increase in the number of vehicles surpassed the rate of increase
in the number of households. There were 1.15 vehicles per houshold in 1969
and 1.77 vehicles per household in 1990. Vehicles were driven more: 11,6000
miles per year in 1969 and 12,458 in 1990. (1990 National Personal Transportation
Survey Databook, Volume 1, Office of Highway Information Management)
Supply and Demand
For every 1% increase in demand for food, the price at the farm gate increases
4.5%. (Food, Land, Population, and the U.S. Economy, Carrying Capacity
Network)
Some Areas of Progress
"Leading Environmental Indicators," a report
published by Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy, a San Francisco-based
think tank funded by a number of major corporations, shows ecological health
rallied dramatically since 1970. Data collected over the past 25 years show
reductions in emissions and ambient quantities of air pollutants such as
sulfer dioxide which has dropped 25%. Declining just slightly nationwide,
groundlevel ozone has diminished dramatically in U.S. cities. The number
of cities exceeding the federal ozone standard dropped from 97 to 56 between
1990 and 1992. (Garbage Magazine)
