Conserving the Environment
Conserving the Environment | The Clean Water Act Has Improved America’s Rivers and Lakes
The Clean Water Act is an immense piece of legislation, with more than 500 sections, so summarizing it is difficult. Suffice it to say that before it was passed there were no enforceable national standards for industrial or sewage discharge into surface waters; now all such “point sources” of pollution require state- or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-issued permits. The act also established a national policy on the protection of wetlands, the crucial foundation to healthy surface-water ecosystems, which were filled in or drained at a rate of about half a million acres a year...
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- Introduction
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Chapter 1: Is There an Environmental Crisis?
- Chapter 1 Preface
- The Environment Is Deteriorating
- Capitalism Has Worsened the Environment
- Global Warming Is a Serious Problem
- Environmental Change Poses a Threat to Food Production
- Some Journalists Understate the Environmental Crisis
- The Environment Is Improving
- The Threat of Global Warming Has Been Exaggerated
- Environmental Scarcity Is a Myth
- The Media Exaggerate Environmental Crises
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Chapter 2: Should Biodiversity Be Preserved?
- Preserving Biodiversity: An Overview
- Biodiversity Should Be Preserved
- Preserving Biodiversity Is a Jewish Obligation
- Humans Should Not Be Indifferent Toward Other Species
- Efforts to Save Endangered Species Are Unfairly Criticized
- Attempting to Save Every Species Is Expensive and Impractical
- Belief in Biodiversity Is Dangerous
- Attempts to Preserve Species Endanger Human Safety and Property
- Environmentalists Overstate the Importance of Certain Species
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Chapter 3: How Can Pollution Be Reduced?
- Chapter 3 Preface
- Stronger Air-Pollution Standards Are Needed
- The Federal Government’s Air-Quality Standards Are Too Stringent
- Electric Cars Reduce Air Pollution
- Electric Cars Are Costly and May Not Reduce Pollution
- The Clean Water Act Has Improved America’s Rivers and Lakes
- Additional Government Programs Are Not the Correct Response to Water Pollution
- The Efforts of Citizens Can Reduce Water Pollution
- Natural Remedies Can Be Used to Clean Up Toxic Waste
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Chapter 4: Can Free-Market Approaches Protect the Environment?
- Chapter 4 Preface
- Free-Market Environmentalism Can Protect the Environment
- Green Marketing Can Help Conserve the Environment
- Ecotourism Will Protect the Environment
- Environmental Regulations Infringe on Property Rights
- Environmental Regulations Are Necessary
- Emissions Trading Does Not Protect the Environment
- Overreliance on Green Products Cannot Protect the Environment
- The Free-Market System Harms the Environment
- Organizations to Contact
- Bibliography
- Copyright
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