Pollution. Is it mostly the US's fault?

[Sir Kenyth]

I was reading another post on another board. It said that they had read an article that places blame for much of the pollution on the US. This brought up a lot of ideas and opinions. It was argued that foreign countries with low environmental standards in their industrial age are mostly to blame. Highly industrialized and overpopulated countries were also targeted. Most of the fingers pointed at the Asian nations (China, India, etc.) American seemed to deny that America was a problem, but what about off-shoring? Does not supporting dirty manufacturing overseas mean responsibility?

I can attest that smog and smoke are much worse in the Asian areas. I was stationed in Seoul, South Korea and the air is filthy! But Los Angeles isn't all that great either. Cars are the main problem in the US from what I understand. What do we do about it? Will Americans give up their SUV's for economy cars with four cylinder engines? Will you? This is a problem with no easy answer. With gas prices going waaaay up, you figure this wouldn't be a problem, but people love their SUV's and seem to be willing to pay anything to keep them! I drive economy cars and am ribbed a bit for it. Apparently, we need to keep up with the Jones's or be considered eccentric!

Here's the cute offshoring situation. Countries in the middle of their industrial revolutions are a huge source of air pollution, and we support it by sending our production overseas to take advantage of the low cost! In a way, we are responsible! How can we say we support democracy, a clean environment, and worker/civil rights if we support exploitation in other countries? Do any of you own stock in these companies? Guess what? You support it too!

On another note, I just read a hilarious article which tells of a study done by the companies offshoring our jobs. This study shows that offshoring is actually GOOD for our job market! Yes, you heard me right, reducing the number of jobs reduces our unemployment and raises our wages in the end by, "Stimulating the economy."! This has to be one of the most laughable things I've heard since the excuses in the ENRON scandal.

[Firestormalpha]

Not too much more than any other industrialized nations fault. But yeah we do produce a nasty lot of it. Not helped at all by the greedy corporations who dispose of their waste in the cheapest (and usually least legal) ways they can find.

[john]

California uses more fuel than most Nations!!And all the items that were bad for the ozone we quickly sold to other countries who don't have the e.p.a. regs. that we have here.