MILITARY PROPOSES ENVIRONMENTAL EXEMPTION

By Clare Martens, Editorial Intern, The Commonwealth

As part of its proposed $379 billion fiscal 2003 budget, the Pentagon seeks exemption from existing significant environmental legislation including the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Wilderness Act. The House approved the exemptions laid out in the draft National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 on May 9 in a bipartisan vote of 359 to 58. The bill is now before the Senate.

Critics allege the military is trying to avoid debate on environmental issues by bundling them in with the budget. With 25 million acres of land at its disposal – 90 percent of which is undeveloped – the Pentagon spends $4 billion annually to comply with environmental laws. Some in the Defense Department argue that money could be better spent fighting the global war against terrorism.

The military's record on protecting the environment is acknowledged as less than stellar. Over the years, environmentalists have protested issues from a Navy low-frequency sonar system that leads to death in whales to open-air burning of toxic waste in Nevada which resulted in the death of at least one worker and injuries to others.

ASTHMA AND AIR POLLUTION

By Alexandra Davidson, Editorial Intern, The Commonwealth

The most common chronic disease in American children, asthma currently costs the U.S. over $12 billion annually in health care. The problem is worsening at an alarming rate; since 1981 there has been an increase of 160 percent in the number of children under the age of five affected by the condition. The Pew Environmental Health Commission predicts that by 2020, 29 million Americans could have asthma.

The cause of this increase could be environmental. Recent studies show a direct and significant link between smog levels and the number of asthma sufferers in a given area. The American Lung Association reported in April 2002 that approximately 142 million Americans live in areas where ozone levels are a significant health risk and noted that six out of the ten most polluted parts of the country are in California, with Los Angeles heading the list as the smoggiest place in the U.S. The rate of asthma symptoms is also higher in California than elsewhere, with 3.9 million Californians (11.9 percent) suffering from asthma.

Asthma is known to disproportionately affect children and is cited as the single most common cause of absenteeism among schoolchildren. Susceptibility to asthma is also higher among ethnic minority groups, with 80 percent of Hispanics and 65 percent of African-Americans living in areas that do not meet air cleanliness standards. Low-income groups also suffer more from asthma, often as a result of a lack of proper medical care.

GlaxoSmithKline, Europe's largest pharmaceutical company, is reaping the benefits of America's struggles with air quality. First-quarter profits this year rose by almost 50 percent, owing almost exclusively to the increasing demand in the U.S. for Advair, a drug used to treat asthma.

WARNINGS IN GEO-3 REPORT

By Clare Martens, Editorial Intern, The Commonwealth

Unless humanity adopts more environment-friendly behavior over market forces driven actions, 55 percent of the world's population will be battling drought within 30 years, up from today's 40 percent. That grim prediction comes from the UN Environment Program's third Global Environment Outlook (GEO-3) report released May 22. Half the world's rivers are "seriously depleted and polluted," while just under one third of global fish stocks are "depleted, overexploited or recovering" as a result of over-fishing. Nearly a quarter of the world's mammals and 12 percent of birds risk extinction. UNEP director Klaus Toepfer begged world leaders to "find the political courage and innovative financing" to implement existing environment legislation to help resolve today's problems and ensure a healthier tomorrow. Read more at: http://www.unep.org/GEO/geo3/index.htm.

RESTORING SALT MARSHES

Shortly before we went to press, a public-private deal to purchase for $100 million most of the salt ponds in the San Francisco Bay belonging to Cargill Inc. was secured. Most of the property is in the south bay. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is credited with helping secure the deal, which has yet to be formalized. The subsequent planned restoration of the ponds to salt marsh would be one of the largest projects of its kind ever in the U.S.