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Though 2005 offered a full plate of environmental episodes that riveted the world's attention, including environmental calamities in China, Hurricane Katrina, and the U.N. conference on climate change, the march of environmental progress continues, according to the 2006 Index of Leading Environmental Indicators, released by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) and AEI.

"With over a decade of compiled research in the Index, the facts speak for themselves--it's impossible to deny the environmental improvements we've made and the certain progress we'll continue to make over time," said Dr. Steven Hayward, author of the Index, senior fellow at PRI, and F. K. Weyerhaeuser Fellow at AEI.

The eleventh edition of the Index of Leading Environmental Indicators highlights the positive trends occurring in key areas including climate change, air quality, water quality, toxic chemicals, and biodiversity in the United States.