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There are three main reasons for this:

1... Concern for the environment has become part of the public's
general awareness, and it resurfaces quickly when a particular
threat becomes known. The media have played a crucial role here.

Environmental groups have become large, effective and respected,
rather than the ad hoc committees that they were in the late
1960s. Their efforts are Supported to a degree by legislation
and government bureaucracies.

Methods of testing the effects of chemicals and pollution have
become highly sophisticated. The amount of testing done has also
increased significantly.

Many of the issues that received media coverage ten years ago no
longer receive the same public attention. Issues such as wildlife
Preservation and Great Lakes pollution are now often dealt with
between environmental Organizations and the government, and do not
receive much newspaper coverage,

The issues that receive most public attention involve chemicals that
affect human health. Urea formaldehyde, asbestos, radio-active and
chemical waste disposal are among the key issues. The idealism of
the early 1970s has been replaced by fear in the 1930s.

Acid rain is an exception to this trend. Since its effects are to
difficult to pinpoint, except perhaps for those living near one of

the northern 'dead' lakes, and since the political forces needed for
resolution are so massive, the public response can have little focus.
However, this issue is significant in that, for the first time perhaps,
the government has taken the initiative in calling for increased
controls. This has occurred on the basis of scientific evidence alone,
rather than political pressure. A likely explanation for this is

_the fact that acid rain will have disastrous economic consequences

for a number of major industries, including forestry and tourism.

Since much of the technology and legislation to Protect the environment
already exists, there is now less emphasis on developing more. The
effectiveness of legislation, and the willingness of governments and
business to abide by the regulations, are the real issues today.

Much of the legislation that exists is open to a wide scope of
judicial and ministerial discretion. Fines for poiluters often amount
to licenses to cortinue polluting rather than incentives to change.

Becuase of this, the public has a basic mistrust of government
regulation, and this, in turn, makes government decision-making
politically difficult. For example, attempts by governments to

build waste disposal plants have met with considerable local hostility.
Increased testing of older chemical dumps has made the public wary of
such proposals, even if the plants are intended as alternatives to
earlier uncontrolled dumping.

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