by Greg Walcher, E&E Legal Senior Policy Fellow
As appearing in the Daily Sentinel
When Vincent Van Gogh painted “Starry Night” in 1889, he did not consider it a masterpiece, certainly not the third most famous painting in world history, although Internet searches have given it that distinction (behind only DaVinci’s Mona Lisa and Last Supper). In fact, Van Gogh didn’t even think it was very good, as he confided in a letter to his brother Theo at the time. “The only things I consider a little good in it are… and the rest says nothing to me.”
My mother and aunt have been painting for many years. They both make exquisite pictures, then immediately criticize their work and find faults nobody else sees, such perfectionists they have become. It is a common trait among all craftsmen. It is not uniquely American but is certainly a common characteristic that we are a self-critical people, constantly fearing the worst, criticizing ourselves, worrying about the future, and almost never praising our accomplishments.
Think about America’s environmental successes. The record is not perfect, obviously, and much remains to be done. Acknowledging that reality requires no courage, because everyone already believes it. Yet it is also true that Americans have done more to clean up and improve their environment than any people who ever lived. That is especially true of the 50-year program to stop polluting the air.
Brown clouds in Denver, Los Angeles and many other cities were legendary when the EPA developed the first air quality standards in 1970. Today the brown clouds are rare and intermittent, largely because of automobile improvements. Old cars were pollution machines, but science, engineering, regulation, and public demand brought cars that emit almost nothing. Electronic ignition, fuel injection, catalytic converters, and reformulated gasoline changed everything. The goal was to exhaust only carbon dioxide and water vapor, generally considered natural and harmless. Air quality improved dramatically. But rather than expressing pride in this astonishing achievement, environmental groups and federal regulators instead demanded regulation of carbon dioxide, shifting the objective to something other than clear air.
