Environmental History Project

  • World Population Reaches 1 Billion

    World Population Reaches 1 Billion
    These events showed when the earths population reached significant population totals, and with the 3, 5 and 7 billion population marks, we can see the significant exponential growth of the population.
  • Establishment of National Forests: U.S.

    Establishment of National Forests: U.S.
    Allowed the president to establish forest reserves from timber covered public domains.
  • Migratory Bird Act: US

    To implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain.
  • Bald Eagle Protection Act: U.S.

    Bald Eagle Protection Act: U.S.
    This act was created to protect the U.S. national emblem, the bald eagle.
  • Public Health Service Act: U.S.

    This act allows the HHS to respond to public health emergencies and assist states in their response activities.
  • Everglades National Park: Florida

    Everglades National Park: Florida
    Everglades National Park is a 1.5-million-acre wetlands preserve on the southern tip of the U.S. state of Florida. Often compared to a grassy, slow-moving river, the Everglades is made up of coastal mangroves, sawgrass marshes and pine flatwoods that are home to hundreds of animal species.
  • World Population Reaches 3 Billion

    World Population Reaches 3 Billion
    These events showed when the earths population reached significant population totals, and with the 3, 5 and 7 billion population marks, we can see the significant exponential growth of the population.
  • Antarctic Treaty System: Washington, U.S.

    Antarctic Treaty System: Washington, U.S.
    Regulates relations among states in the Antarctic.
  • Silent Spring Published:

    Silent Spring Published:
    Silent Spring is an environmental science book by Rachel Carson, it documented the adverse effects on the environment of the indiscriminate use of pesticides.
  • Wilderness Act: US

    Wilderness Act: US
    The act contains specific guidelines for setting aside and protecting undeveloped federal land.
  • Water Quality Act: U.S.

    Water Quality Act: U.S.
    This was an act created to promote better water quality, and led to stricter laws regulating companies from putting waste into water.
  • National Environmental Policy Act: US

    This is a United States law that promotes the enhancement of the environment and established the President's Council on Environmental Quality.
  • Alternative Energy Institute: Texas

    Alternative Energy Institute: Texas
    This is a research institution located in Canyon, Texas and it was formed in 1977 at West Texas State University as an outgrowth of wind energy research begun in 1970.
  • First Earth Day: US

    Worldwide, various events were held to demonstrate support for environmental protection, now it includes events in more that 193 countries.
  • Clean Air Act: U.S.

    Clean Air Act: U.S.
    The clean air act was created to set air quality goals to reduce and control pollution, with technology requirements to limit pollution on stationary pollution sources and motor vehicles.
  • DDT Banned: U.S.

    DDT was a common insecticide used for insect control in the U.S. but it was banned in 1972
  • Clean Water Act: U.S.

    The clean water act was created in addition to the water quality act, this act was created to promote better water quality, but also to work towards having cleaner water.
  • UN Environment Programme: Kenya

    UN Environment Programme: Kenya
    This is a program created to advocate, educate, and facilitate sustainable development of the global environment.
  • OPEC Oil Embargo: Israel

    OPEC Oil Embargo: Israel
    coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its Member Countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets in order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers
  • Endangered Species Act: US

    It is a federal law enacted to protect endangered and threatened species from becoming extinct.
  • World Environment Day: Stockholm, Sweden

    World Environment Day: Stockholm, Sweden
    This day was created to spread awareness for our environment by creating a day dedicated to protecting the environment.
  • Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species

    CITES is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.
  • Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: U.S.

    Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: U.S.
    This act gave the EPA the authority to control hazardous waste. Including the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste.
  • Toxic Substances Control Act: U.S.

    Toxic Substances Control Act: U.S.
    Regulates the introduction of new or already existing chemicals.
  • Period: to

    Love Canal Disaster

    The neighborhood is infamously known as the location of a 70-acre landfill which became the epicenter of a massive environmental pollution disaster harming the health of hundreds of residents, culminating in an extensive Superfund cleanup operation.
  • Three Mile Incident: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

    Three Mile Incident: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
    This was an incident where a nuclear power plant had many mechanical and human errors, resulting in a partial meltdown, which also released radioactive gases.
  • Union Carbide Plant Explosion: India

    Union Carbide Plant Explosion: India
    The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
  • Chernobyl Nuclear Explosion: Pripyat, Russia

    Chernobyl Nuclear Explosion: Pripyat, Russia
    The Chernobyl nuclear explosion was when a nuclear reactor exploded resulting in the release of hazardous radioactive gas, the town of Chernobyl had to evacuate and other surrounding towns. This incident had a lasting impact because it affected the environment significantly, and has caused many people and organisms to get radiation poisoning.
  • World Population Reaches 5 Billion

    These events showed when the earths population reached significant population totals, and with the 3, 5 and 7 billion population marks, we can see the significant exponential growth of the population.
  • Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Alaska

    Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Alaska
    Tanker Exxon Valdez grounded on Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound, rupturing its hull and spilling nearly 11 million gallons of Prudhoe Bay crude oil into a remote, scenic, and biologically productive body of water.
  • Montreal Protocol: Montreal

    Montreal Protocol: Montreal
    The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.
  • Lacey Act: U.S.

    This act banned trafficking in illegal wildlife within the U.S.
  • Gulf War Oil Spill: U.S.

    Gulf War Oil Spill: U.S.
    Oil began to spill into gulf due to iraqi forces had opened oil valves of the sea island pipeline releasing oil from tankers.
  • First U.N. Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    First U.N. Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro was unprecedented for a UN conference, in terms of both its size and the scope of its concerns.
  • EPA Formed: U.S.

    EPA Formed: U.S.
    This act protects human health and the environment.
  • Food Quality Protection Act: U.S.

    Food Quality Protection Act: U.S.
    This act allowed the use of pesticides by setting tolerances and restrictions to the amount that was allowed to be used.
  • World Food Summit

    World Food Summit
    Put in place due to the undernutrition and concern about the capacity of agriculture to meet future food needs.
  • Kyoto Protocol: Kyoto, Japan

    Kyoto Protocol: Kyoto, Japan
    Treaty that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  • BP Oil Spill: Gulf of Mexico

    BP Oil Spill: Gulf of Mexico
    This was the most massive oil spill in U.S. History, the cause of the discharge was an explosion on the British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
  • World Population Reaches 7 Billion

    World Population Reaches 7 Billion
    These events showed when the earths population reached significant population totals, and with the 3, 5 and 7 billion population marks, we can see the significant exponential growth of the population.
  • Paris Climate Accord: Paris

    This is an agreement by 195 countries came to fight against increasing pollution, and these countries made goals to reduce pollution for the future.