The Great Abatement: Cleaning Up Asbestos

It may be surprising to learn that asbestos is not completely banned. It was widely used in construction and mechanics for much of the 20th century; the first restrictions were put in place only in the 1970s. In fact, asbestos is still permitted in manufacturing as long as it composes less than 1 percent of…

World Environment Day: Successes of Countries

When the United Nations General Assembly established June 5th as World Environment Day in 1972, UN members probably had no idea how influential their efforts would be around the world. According to its website, “World Environment Day (WED) is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment.” Its outreach…