Looking at a document from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) entitled National Air Quality Status and Trends Through 2007, I came across the data represented by the chart above. After listening to the environmental doomsayers all these years, I was shocked at what the data revealed. It is, in fact exactly opposite from what we have been told.
From 1990 to 2007 the Aggregate Emissions of six common pollutants tracked by the EPA (Particulate Matter, Sulfur Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Oxides of Nitrogen and Volatile Organic Compounds) were reduced by 41%. This happened while the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country grew by 63%. Population grew by 21%. Energy Consumption was up by 20% and Vehicle Miles Traveled was increased by 45%.
How can this be? All of those things are bad for the environment...right? I mean aren't we evil capitalist/consumer pigs who are polluting the world more and more through our thoughtless use of "fossil fuels" and technology? That's what they tell us...but it seems that air quality in this country has actually gotten better. So...therefore...let me think now...if we drive MORE...the air should get even cleaner, right? If we really care about clean air, like we say we do, we need to produce more, have more babies, use more energy and...DRIVE MORE. Yeah...that must be it. Because, the more we drove and did all of these other things, the cleaner the air got.
I also found out that according to a 1999 report of the US Public Interest Research Group that "From 1992 to 1997, the number of SUVs and other light trucks on the road grew from 54 million to 68 million. Today there is one light truck for every 3.9 Americans. If current growth continues, there will be an estimated 133 million light trucks on the road by the year 2020. Given population growth projections, this would be one light truck for every 2.4 people." So this must mean that SUVs are also good for the air quality...not bad.
This is very upsetting. Everything I thought I was supposed to know is now in question. If you can't believe liberal, tree hugging environmentalists...who can you trust?
What's that? You say you aren't too sure of my logic? There are other factors at play here, you say. Driving more miles can't really improve air quality, you contend.
Well, I don't know. It's the same kind of logic used by the proponents of so-called "Man Made Global Warming." The global temperatures are rising...human industrial activity is increasing...so, therefore, we are going to burn up the planet. But wait, we say...it has been warmer on earth in the past...even before the industrial age. And, there's the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) of the oceans that causes global climate to warm and cool in cycles. There is the fact that one decent sized volcanic eruption emits more "greenhouse gasses" than the whole industrialized world does in a year. And, what about the fact that the global temperatures on Mars were increasing at the same time as they were on Earth...due, we believe, to solar activity. There's no industry, or SUVs, on Mars. Those are just a few of the many factors that we are told to ignore. "The planet has a fever," and it's our fault, we are told.
Well, if the Climategate crowd can ignore other factors, so can I. And until you can convince me that their factors are different than mine...I'm going to drive my SUV more.
