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Environmental Concerns From the 70s to the Present

By 16mcombs

  • National Environmental Policy Act

    The National Environmental Policy Act was signed and created the Council on Environmental Quality. This act allowed the President to be given tips and advice on how to handle environmental harm and issues. Today, this is still used while planning large projects that could have a major impact on the surroundings.

  • Pollution Free Cars

    General Motors proposed the idea of pollution free cars and promised that there would be such things by 1980. They intended to have all pollution creating cars off the roads by 1980 as well, however, there are still cars which pollute the air in the present, showing that they were unsuccessful. Although they were not able to fully create non polluting cars, their concern and attempt showed the nation that pollution needed to be considered.

  • Earth Day

    The first Earth Day was celebrated in San Francisco. It was not nationwide, but clearly did grow throughout the years.

  • Whales

    The United States puts a stop on the killing of whales and places them on the endangered species list.

  • Recycling Bottles

    A bill was passed in Oregon to begin recycling bottles, one of the first things to make recycling important and well known.

  • Toxic Waste Dumps

    The United States orders that abandoned toxic waste dumps be cleaned up. The causes of this were the Love Canal Disaster and Times Beach.

  • Leaded Gasoline

    Leaded gasoline slowly became less popular. This helped with the environment and health of people.

  • Plastic Dumping

    The United States puts a ban on dumping plastic into the oceans. This protected the wildlife in and around those areas and also created a better looking atmosphere around our nation.

  • Nuclear Bomb Clean Up

    The US Department of Energy began considering the cleanup of old nuclear bomb building and testing sites. They found that it would cost around $53 to $92 billion dollars to clean it completely.

  • Global Warming

    The United States reports that global warming may bring the temperature up 2 degrees Fahrenheit within the next 35 years.

  • War on Iraq & Kuwait

    The war on Iraq and Kuwait causes oil spills and other environmental disasters. During this time, it was also found that childhood cancer rates increased by a dramatic amount in southern Iraq.

  • Earth Day's 20th Anniversary

    Earth Day’s 20th anniversary was celebrated and was moved to April 22nd. In 20 years, it has grown to be celebrated by 140 nations.

  • Ozone Layer

    NASA finds that the ozone layer above the United States, Canada, Europe, and Russia could be depleted by up to 40% by the next winter or spring.

  • Lead

    Studies showed that lead in blood decreased by 78% since the stop leaded gasoline. Scientists also found the related connection between lead and low IQs of children.

  • Long Term Effect

    The United Nations warns its people that there will be a long term effect on the planet due to greenhouse gases becoming trapped.

  • World Meteorological Organization

    The World Meteorological Organization reports that the hole in the Earths atmosphere is expanding at an alarming rate.

  • Copper Mine

    A major spill of wastes from a copper mine in the Philippines caused 23 metric tons of polluted water to be released into large rivers.

  • Taiwanese Toxic Waste

    Nearly 3,000 tons of Taiwanese toxic waste are dumped in a field in the southern port of Sihanoukville, Cambodia. During this time, it was also recorded to be the hottest year.

  • Glaciers

    NASA scientists print a report comparing the size of glaciers over decades. Although this had been done before, they informed everyone that the size of them are shrinking more rapidly than they previously knew.

  • Rain Forest Logging

    Rain forest logging was banned in New Zealand. After trying for 30 years, environmental advocates finally won the battle against the loggers and saved the rainforest by having the government outlaw deforestation.

  • Invasion of Iraq

    Invasion of Iraq by U.S. and allies Great Britain causes more war related pollution.

  • Hottest Year On Record

    Scientists prove that the previous year was the hottest year on record.

  • Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

    The Gulf of Mexico oil spill emitted 4.9 million barrels of oil into the water, killing an unbelievable amount of wildlife and endangering others.

  • US EPA

    US EPA issues rules on automotive fuel efficiency and, for the first time, regulates greenhouse gas emissions. New regulations for coal fired power plants follow in July.

  • Hot Summers

    A Stanford University reporter says that hot summers and warmer climates are here to stay due to greenhouse emissions.

  • Greenhouse Gas Limits

    The US EPA issues the first limits on greenhouse gas emissions from newly built power plants.

  • Environmental Concerns

    Throughout the years, the negative impact being made on the environment has become more and more of an issue. All of these events lead up to the better research and information being gained today. The amount of knowledge being put forth is at it's highest and is expected to only increase over time.