We have come tardily to the tremendous task of cleaning up our environment.
We should have moved with similar zeal at least a decade ago. . .
With visionary zeal but the greatest realism, we must now address ourselves
to the vast problems that confront us. Pres. Gerald R. Ford (1970)
Though Americans make up just 4 percent of the world's population, the U.S. produces 25 percent of the carbon dioxide pollution from fossil-fuel burning -- by far the largest share of any country. In fact, the United States emits more carbon dioxide than China, India and Japan combined. (National Resources Defense Council)
