Environmental issues in the United States
[5] The Conservationists, led by President Theodore Roosevelt and his close ally Gifford Pinchot, said that the laissez-faire approach was too wasteful and inefficient.
It strenuously opposed timber cutting on most public lands, and vehemently denounced the dams that Roosevelt supported for water supplies, electricity and flood control.
[12][13][14] Climate change's impacts on tropical cyclones and sea level rise also affect regions of the country.
Cumulatively since 1850, the U.S. has emitted a larger share than any country of the greenhouse gases causing current climate change, with some 20% of the global total of carbon dioxide alone.
[16] Various state and federal climate change policies have been introduced, and the US has ratified the Paris Agreement despite temporarily withdrawing.
This includes implications for agriculture, the economy (especially the affordability and availability of insurance), human health, and indigenous peoples, and it is seen as a national security threat.
[19] US States that emit more carbon dioxide per person and introduce policies to oppose climate action are generally experiencing greater impacts.
Since about 26% of all types of energy used in the United States are derived from fossil fuel consumption it is closely linked to greenhouse gas emissions.
An invasive species refers to an organism that is not native to a specific region and poses significant economic and environmental threats to its new habitat.
Some introduced species, such as the dandelion, do not cause significant economic or ecologic damage and are not widely considered as invasive.
Economic damages associated with invasive species' effects and control costs are estimated at $120 billion per year.
[a] Native Americans cleared millions of acres of forest for many reasons, including hunting, farming, berry production, and building materials.
[33] Prior to the arrival of European-Americans, about one half of the United States land area was forest, about 1,023,000,000 acres (4,140,000 km2) estimated in 1630.
In the United States, issues like mountaintop removal, and acid mine drainage have widespread impacts on all parts of the environment.
[62] North Dakota dedicated $66 million of its CARES Act pandemic relief funds for plugging and reclaiming abandoned and orphaned wells.
[63] According to the Government Accountability Office, the 2.1 million unplugged abandoned wells in the United States could cost as much as $300 billion.
[71] The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) was first passed in 1947, giving the United States Department of Agriculture responsibility for regulating pesticides.
As with many countries, pollution in the United States is a concern for environmental organizations, government agencies, and individuals.
Exposure to these pollutants can lead to various health problems, from short-term symptoms like headaches and temporary nervous system effects (e.g., "metal fume fever") to serious long-term risks such as cancer and early death.
[72] Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials into the atmosphere that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damage ecosystems.
Health problems attributed to air pollution include premature death, cancer, organ failure, infections, behavioral changes, and other diseases.
These health effects are not equally distributed across the U.S. population; there are demographic disparities by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and education.
[76] A 2016 study reported that levels of nitrogen oxides, which contribute to smog and acid rain, had plummeted over the previous decade,[77] due to better regulations, economic shifts, and technological innovations.
[81][82] In the early 20th century, communities began to install drinking water treatment systems, but control of the principal pollution sources—domestic sewage, industry, and agriculture—was not effectively regulated in the US until the 1970s.
Multiple pollution incidents such as the Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill (2008) and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (2010) have left lasting impacts on water quality, ecosystems, and public health in the United States.
[95] Only recently has the United States begun to make an effort to start regulating where e-waste goes and how it is disposed of.
The National Strategy for Electronic Stewardship was co-founded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), and the General Services Administration (GSA), and was introduced in 2011 to focus on federal action to establish electronic stewardship in the United States.
The EPA estimates that in 2009, the United States disposed of 2.37 million tons of e-waste, 25% of which was recycled domestically.
This is unlike most European countries, especially Germany, Russia, Italy and Greece, whose populations are slowly declining, and whose fertility rates are below replacement.
