Today the evidence of an ecological Kristallnacht is as clear as the sound of glass shattering in Berlin. Although the emission levels have declined over the past quarter century, Schiller and company focus on ambient levels or the concentration of pollutants actually in the air. It's a better measure of human exposure to pollutants, and it, too, has gone down dramatically. Concentrations of carbon monoxide, for example, have declined 66 percent since 1976 and 7 percent since 1997. This despite a 100 percent increase in the number of vehicle-miles traveled.
Water pollution's a little bit tougher to measure nationally, but the trends are positive.
Now the focus is on nonpoint pollution sources such as agricultural run-off, soil erosion, urban storm runoff and the household disposal of pollutants down the drain. This change of focus bespeaks success, not failure or impending doom. Good news isn't usually front-page news, and environmental groups have no interest in touting our successes. They know that bad news sells. It gets people excited enough to write a check.