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Environmental Indicators
Index 2: Relative Severity of Environmental Problems in the United States (base year 1980)
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Annual values >1 represent an increase in environmental degradation; annual values <1 represent a decrease.
|
1980 |
1981 |
1982 |
1983 |
1984 |
1985 |
1986 |
1987 |
1988 |
1989 |
1990 |
1991 |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
Net change2 |
Air quality3
|
Sulphur Dioxide
|
1.00 |
0.94 |
0.86 |
0.84 |
0.84 |
0.84 |
0.83 |
0.81 |
0.82 |
0.79 |
0.73 |
0.72 |
0.67 |
0.65 |
0.62 |
0.52 |
-0.477 |
Nitrogen Dioxide
|
1.00 |
0.98 |
0.96 |
0.94 |
0.95 |
0.94 |
0.95 |
0.94 |
0.95 |
0.92 |
0.88 |
0.88 |
0.83 |
0.81 |
0.86 |
0.83 |
-0.168 |
Ozone
|
1.00 |
0.92 |
0.89 |
1.00 |
0.89 |
0.88 |
0.85 |
0.89 |
0.96 |
0.82 |
0.80 |
0.81 |
0.76 |
0.77 |
0.77 |
0.80 |
-0.199 |
Carbon monoxide
|
1.00 |
0.97 |
0.88 |
0.88 |
0.87 |
0.79 |
0.76 |
0.72 |
0.69 |
0.68 |
0.63 |
0.60 |
0.56 |
0.53 |
0.54 |
0.48 |
-0.516 |
PM-10s4
|
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
0.99 |
0.91 |
0.90 |
0.82 |
0.79 |
0.80 |
0.78 |
-0.220 |
Lead
|
1.00 |
0.83 |
0.65 |
0.51 |
0.45 |
0.32 |
0.22 |
0.20 |
0.13 |
0.10 |
0.10 |
0.07 |
0.06 |
0.06 |
0.05 |
0.05 |
-0.949 |
| Average |
1.00 |
0.94 |
0.88 |
0.86 |
0.84 |
0.80 |
0.77 |
0.76 |
0.76 |
0.72 |
0.68 |
0.66 |
0.62 |
0.60 |
0.61 |
0.58 |
-0.421 |
Water quality
|
"Exceedances"5
|
1.00 |
0.92 |
0.94 |
0.88 |
0.77 |
0.75 |
0.71 |
0.55 |
0.70 |
0.69 |
0.66 |
0.46 |
0.60 |
0.57 |
0.68 |
0.68 |
-0.322 |
Phosphorus (Gr. Lakes)
|
1.00 |
0.96 |
0.91 |
0.87 |
0.83 |
0.78 |
0.78 |
0.87 |
0.80 |
0.74 |
0.78 |
0.74 |
0.74 |
0.78 |
0.61 |
0.61 |
-0.391 |
Nitrogen (Gr. Lakes)
|
1.00 |
1.03 |
1.06 |
1.08 |
1.11 |
1.14 |
1.15 |
1.18 |
1.13 |
1.12 |
1.13 |
1.18 |
1.19 |
1.19 |
1.19 |
1.19 |
0.194 |
DDE (Gr. Lakes)
|
1.00 |
1.32 |
1.36 |
0.67 |
0.78 |
0.75 |
0.68 |
0.42 |
0.54 |
0.58 |
0.62 |
0.75 |
0.67 |
0.77 |
0.69 |
0.48 |
-0.523 |
PCB (Gr. Lakes)
|
1.00 |
1.24 |
1.23 |
0.73 |
0.80 |
0.67 |
0.55 |
0.37 |
0.45 |
0.57 |
0.50 |
0.48 |
0.44 |
0.34 |
0.48 |
0.39 |
-0.610 |
HCB (Gr. Lakes)
|
1.00 |
1.22 |
0.98 |
0.56 |
0.72 |
0.58 |
0.60 |
0.34 |
0.50 |
0.48 |
0.34 |
0.34 |
0.46 |
0.33 |
0.36 |
0.26 |
-0.740 |
Average (Great Lakes)6
|
1.00 |
1.15 |
1.11 |
0.78 |
0.85 |
0.78 |
0.75 |
0.64 |
0.69 |
0.70 |
0.67 |
0.70 |
0.70 |
0.68 |
0.67 |
0.59 |
-0.414 |
| Average7 |
1.00 |
1.04 |
1.02 |
0.83 |
0.81 |
0.77 |
0.73 |
0.59 |
0.69 |
0.69 |
0.70 |
0.58 |
0.65 |
0.63 |
0.67 |
0.63 |
-0.368 |
Natural resources
|
Forests8
|
1.00 |
1.01 |
1.02 |
1.02 |
1.03 |
1.04 |
1.05 |
1.05 |
1.06 |
1.06 |
1.07 |
1.07 |
1.07 |
1.07 |
1.07 |
1.07 |
0.071 |
Water9
|
1.00 |
0.98 |
0.96 |
0.94 |
0.92 |
0.90 |
0.90 |
0.90 |
0.90 |
0.90 |
0.90 |
0.90 |
0.90 |
0.90 |
0.90 |
0.90 |
-0.100 |
Energy10
|
1.00 |
1.00 |
0.96 |
0.99 |
0.97 |
0.97 |
0.98 |
0.99 |
1.02 |
1.00 |
0.96 |
0.94 |
0.95 |
1.00 |
0.98 |
1.00 |
0.000 |
Developed Land11
|
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
0.004 |
Soil erosion
|
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
0.99 |
0.97 |
0.96 |
0.95 |
0.93 |
0.90 |
0.86 |
0.83 |
0.79 |
0.76 |
0.76 |
0.76 |
0.76 |
-0.243 |
| Average |
1.00 |
1.00 |
0.99 |
0.99 |
0.98 |
0.97 |
0.97 |
0.98 |
0.97 |
0.97 |
0.95 |
0.94 |
0.93 |
0.94 |
0.94 |
0.94 |
-0.056 |
Solid waste
|
Waste generation
|
1.00 |
1.02 |
1.03 |
1.05 |
1.07 |
1.09 |
1.13 |
1.17 |
1.21 |
1.25 |
1.29 |
1.32 |
1.34 |
1.36 |
1.38 |
1.38 |
0.381 |
Recycling rate12
|
1.00 |
1.00 |
0.99 |
0.99 |
0.99 |
0.97 |
0.95 |
0.93 |
0.91 |
0.89 |
0.87 |
0.86 |
0.85 |
0.83 |
0.82 |
0.82 |
-0.179 |
| Average |
1.00 |
1.01 |
1.01 |
1.02 |
1.03 |
1.03 |
1.04 |
1.05 |
1.06 |
1.07 |
1.08 |
1.09 |
1.09 |
1.10 |
1.10 |
1.10 |
0.101 |
Overall average13
|
1.00 |
1.00 |
0.98 |
0.93 |
0.91 |
0.89 |
0.88 |
0.84 |
0.87 |
0.86 |
0.85 |
0.82 |
0.82 |
0.82 |
0.83 |
0.81 |
-0.186 |
- Except where otherwise noted, missing data were either extrapolated backward using the earliest available data point or extrapolated forward using the last available data point. See text for explanation
- Net change equals the 1995 base-80 value minus the 1980 base-80 value; multiply by 100 to obtain a percentage change. Any slight discrepancies between the net change column and the difference between the 1995 and 1980 columns are due to rounding-off.
- Ambient levels.
- For Canada the TSP measure was used; for the United States, the narrower category of PM-10 is monitored and has thus been included in the study.
- An "exceedance" is an instance of a reported failure to comply with a standard. This line shows the percentage of readings failing to meet local standards.
- Average of phosphorus, nitrogen, DDE, PCB, and HCB.
- Average of the line "Exceedances" and the line "Average (Great Lakes)."
- In index 2, this is the ratio of harvest to growth; in Index 1 this is the ratio of annual allowable cut (AAC) to growth.
- Ratio of withdrawals to renewable resources.
- Ratio of consumption to production.
- Developed Land (urban + agricultural) as a proportion of total land base.
- Recycling rate is an average of the recycling rate for paper and cardboard and the recycling rate for glass; rate is inverted to express the proportion of waste not recycled.
- Overall average is the average of the lines "Average (air quality)," "Average (water quality)," "Average (natural resources)," and "Average (solid waste)."
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