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Index of Leading Environmental Indicators 1997
PRI Study
By: Steven F. Hayward, Ph.D, Boris DeWeil, Laura Jones, M. Danielle Smith
4.1.1997
The environment is a source of widespread anxiety and pessimism among the public and policy makers alike. Even though by most measures environmental quality has improved dramatically over the last 20 years, public opinion polls consistently show large majorities of the public are pessimistic about environmental quality. Leading politicians and environmental organizations, both of whom have a self-interest in being "crisis entrepreneurs," actively promote the idea that our future is in doubt. Although individual environmental problems should be taken seriously, it is important to appreciate the good news on the environment over the last 25 years. Though many environmental regulations are unnecessarily costly and burdensome (or even countereffective), the general progress of the last generation shows that economic growth and environmental improvement are not incompatible. Policy makers should reflect on this experience as they contemplate modernizing our environmental statutes and regulations.
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