Flash forward to today. Data on the effects of growth on air quality are not a clear picture. The severity and frequency of air pollution episodes in South Sound have declined in the past 10 years. But that has more to do with a crackdown on woodstove emissions and outdoor burning than anything else, says Craig Weckesser, spokesman for the Olympic Air Pollution Control Authority. On the other hand, the increase in motor vehicles associated with growth has led to a doubling of carbon dioxide released into the air since 1984.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas linked to global warming.
Despite the environmental trends, the majority of South Sound residents are not sounding the alarm. The air and water are still relatively clean. The urban landscape is not as paved over as a big city. But we're still a fast-growing community. And therein lies the real issue.