Oh, NO!!! it's Oh-ZONE!!!

The past several days in the Carolinas, there have been record and near-record temperatures... and along with the usual banter from the media about staying cool, keeping kids and pets out of hot cars and looking after the elderly, we're being warned of ORANGE and RED OZONE ALERTS!!! The discussion is being framed in such a way that one might think if you venture outside, DON'T STAY LONG, because THE AIR COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY!!!

But wait, isn't the air actually CLEANER now than even 25 years ago? And, what's with this OZONE stuff, anyway? It must be some BIG THREAT TO MANKIND, right? Is it a Republican plot to starve our kids and put grandma on the street? In fact, you just KNOW that dastardly Karl Rove must have something to do with the EEEEEVIL ozone!

Well, time for a reality check. It's much simpler than that. To quote the EPA from its own material (see link for full report):

"In 2003, ozone levels nationwide were the lowest they have been since 1980.

"Since 1970, the VOC and NOx emissions that cause the formation of ground-level ozone have decreased 54 and 25%, respectively, despite significant increases in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and energy consumption. These emissions declined during the 1980s and 1990s and showed significant continued reductions in 2003...

"Since 1980, significant improvements in ozone levels have been measured across the country. One-hour levels have been reduced by 29%. Between 1990 and now we have seen a 16% improvement."

IN SUMMARY, our cars are more efficient, are better to the environment and the cities are cleaner over-all by far than just 25 years ago. So what's the problem?

The problem is that by reporting factually and congratulating everyone for doing a good job (so far), the environmental movement would lose power with governmental decision making, within popular perception, and the environmentalist organizations would not be able to scare people into forking over near as many billions in the name of "saving" the environment. With positive progress, the environmental movement has had to move into crisis mode to maintain their status quo. The main stream media is only too happy to go along with them.

Want proof? Here in North Carolina, Charlotte has been under RED ALERT the past three days (Raleigh/Durham and Greensboro were ORANGE). But according to the same EPA report cited above, Charlotte had 90% fewer days that exceeded the national air quality standards in 2003 than it did in 1980. At the same time, the population of the Charlotte Metro has increased by about 2/3rds (971,000 to 1,613,000), according to US Census estimates. No doubt motor vehicles have increased by even more during that same time, so what gives?

If the air is "bad" NOW, Charlotteans should have been dropping like flies in 1980, but they did not.

Less hysteria and more reasoned reporting would be welcome. Let's hear the REAL story -- that significant progress has already been made and that the air is much cleaner than it used to be, but even more can be done -- up to an economically infeasable point.

As it is presented now, however, the eco-freaks and their willing accomplices in the main stream media make it out as if al Qaeda doesn't get us, the Ozone will. But there is real danger in that philosophy.

If all of these warnings -- made to seem so dire -- are seen by the average person as just so much "crying wolf" (in that there's virtually no REAL discernable problem), then an unintended consequence could be that health warnings (such as those for ozone, and similar ones) may be shrugged off as meaningless. And THAT could prove to be a REAL problem down the road.