What doesn't pollute the earth? Look around: most of what you see or use in daily life pollutes. Factories, cars and trains do; so do cars and buses, which are important for travel but still pollute too much. We need new laws and restrictions that will make the air and earth cleaner.*

In the United States, many factories are polluting the air and water systems. So are labs, and in some cities they are being investigated to see if they have contaminated the water. If they haven't, what would cause people around the city to all get the same type of cancer?

Rivers are polluted, which causes the destruction of fresh water and habitats. Laws should be put into place to limit this, but probably pollutants would end up going somewhere else. This seems to be a no-win situation. Although labs and factories create things we need, they also create thing we don't.

Planes, trains and automobiles take us places we need to go. They can be fast and comfortable, but we are paying the price. San Bernardino, California, for example, is one of the worst cities as far as air pollution. The smog and grime

travels into the valley from Los Angeles and turns the sky brown. The pollution from one city has to go somewhere, and in the case of Los Angeles, a lot goes to San Bernardino. Congress is trying to pass bills right now that would limit vehicle emissions and the number of big trucks on the roads. Everything seems to have a need but in the 30 years since the Clean Air Act was passed, the amount of pollution in the air has been reduced. Now those rules have been relaxed.

The ground, the air and the water have all been polluted. Different strategies have played out to make the health risks less. The more cars and buildings that are produced might help people, but they do not help the Earth.

*Editor's Update: In late August, the Bush Administration's proposed federal rule changes to the Clean Air Act were passed. According to Carl Pope, Director of the Sierra Club, "The rule signed creates a loophole exempting power plants when making changes that increase the pollution they produce. Polluters can replace huge pieces of their factories without installing readily available modern technology to curb the soot and smog pollution that leaves our communities at risk to more asthma attacks, acid rain, and other toxic pollution." (sierraclub.org)