How much energy do we waste because of errors of design, duplications of function, faulty insulation, bureaucratic muddling, and mistaken assumptions about energy needs? And how much energy can we save by recognizing— and correcting—these errors?
Can the electric automobile save us all from asphyxiation? The author of this argument thinks so, and that the getting there will be at least as much fun, insurance rates lower, and driving more comfortable. Mr. Carr is a veteran research chemist who has directed research for petroleum companies and has written two books, THE BREATH OF LIFE(on air pollution) and DEATH OF THE SWEET WATERS(on wafer pollution).
The greatest threat to America’s water supply lies in public and private indifference to the systematic pollution of our rivers and lakes by industry, faulty sewage-disposal systems, and agencies of the federal government. Most efforts to protect our dwindling clean water reserves have been blocked by political self-interest, and the results are potentially disastrous, not only for America’s large cities but for farmlands and recreation areas as well. These and other disturbing truths are recorded here by Donald E. Carr, a veteran research chemist whose book DEATH OF THE SWEET WATERS will be published later this month by Norton.