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Editorial: Earth Day. Who cares?

Friday brought the 52nd iteration of Earth Day, half a century since American people started to worry (officially) about the Earth and what humans are doing to it.

Half a century on, does anyone care? Here we examine just a few samples of good things and bad things occurring today. Keep in mind there are two sides for every story.

Plastics don’t break down; an estimated 35 million tons were generated in 2018 (EPA).

Fossil fuels: U.S. fossil fuel consumption fell by 9 percent in 2020, the lowest level in nearly 30 years (U.S. Energy Information Administration).

Trash and litter: We know this firsthand, driving down the road: plenty of plastic bags, plastic packages, aluminum cans. The volunteers who clean up after everyone else know about it up close and personal, ticks, mosquitoes and muck.

Single-use containers: Gov. Northam issued an executive order that Virginia agencies must phase out their use. Gov. Youngkin has rescinded that order, while issuing his own order to ...

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