4/22: Forty years after the first Earth Day, new threats arise

New York Times: Forty years after first Earth Day, new threats arise

When the first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970, pollution was a tangible, visible problem. Now, forty years later, smog levels nationwide have dropped about 25% and lead levels in the air are down 90%. But threats are still out there -- largely invisible.

Issues such as climate change are less obvious to the naked eye. Since the first Earth Day, carbon dioxide levels in the air have increased by 19 percent, pushing the average annual world temperature up about 1 degree Fahrenheit, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

''We've cleaned up what you can see and left everything else in limbo,'' said Kathleen Rogers, president of the Earth Day Network.

Let's keep working on it.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Voters to decide on $1 billion roads bill in November

ARKANSAS: State NAACP gives most in congressional delegation an "F"

FLORIDA: Pay cuts could be on the horizon for state workers

GEORGIA: Editorial: Georgia governor's race looks to be a wild one

KENTUCKY: State's worst-performing schools get $56 million in federal funds

LOUISIANA: 11 still missing in aftermath of offshore oil rig explosion

MISSISSIPPI: Legislative session dominated by budget bills

NORTH CAROLINA: State extends appliance rebate program through weekend

SOUTH CAROLINA: Legislators talk about trash-to-power legislation

TENNESSEE: Al Gore launches "Inconvenient Youth" program on Earth Day

VIRGINIA: House rebuffs Gov. McDonnell's proposal to cut public broadcasting

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