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1 Billion People Worldwide
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Forest Reserve Act (Establishment of National Forest)
President Teddy Roosevelt acted a policy which protected American forest, which helped set guidelines for hunting, wood farming, and public domain land. -
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act
codified at 16 U.S.C. §§ 703–712 (although §709 is omitted), is a United States federal law, first enacted in 1916 to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain (acting on behalf of Canada). -
Bald Eagle Protection Act
This act protects from the killing or “taking” of the countries national emblem. -
Public Health Service Act is Signed
This act gave the right for the U.S. Public Health Service the responsibility to prevent the introduction and spread of diseases from foreign countries. An example of this is mandatory quarantine. -
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. Among the Everglades' abundant wildlife are the endangered leatherback turtle, Florida panther and West Indian manatee. -
3 Billion People Worldwide
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Antarctic Treaty System Active
The Treaty was signed to protect "the interest of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord." -
Silent Spring
less than a year after the controversial environmental classic “Silent Spring” was published, its author, Rachel Carson, testified before a Senate subcommittee on pesticides . She was 56 and dying of breast cancer . -
Clean Air Act
U.S. federal law that controls air pollution and is one of the first comprehensive air quality laws in the world. This controls emission levels from motor vehicles and provides funds to research air pollution. -
The Wilderness Act
was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected 9.1 million acres of federal land. -
Water Quality Act
This act directed states to develop water quality standards in order to address issues regarding the release of toxic compounds into sewers and surface waters. The Clean Water Act was soon followed. -
The National Environmental Policy Act
is a United States environmental law that promotes the enhancement of the environment and established the President's Council on Environmental Quality. -
Earth Day was founded
was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. -
July 9, 1970 :The EPA was established
an independent agency of the United States federal government for environmental protection. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970, and it began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. -
DDT Banned in the U.S.
This was an insect controller in the U.S. used by farmers on their crops to kill unwanted pests. However, it lead to adverse health effects on wildlife and illness for humans, which is why it was banned in 1972. -
World Environment Day Established
World Environment Day is held on June 5 each year to promote the protection of the quality of the Earth and spread the need to make the world a better place. In many areas, parades are held on this day. -
U.N. Environment Programme Created
The programme was created to confront environmental issues and promotes sustainable use of the world's natural resources. They also oversee the trade of chemicals and chemical disposal. -
Clean Water Act Effective
The objective of this law is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the countries waters by preventing water pollution. It was previously introduced in 1948, but was revised and rewritten to the current 1972 act. -
The Endangered Species Act
is one of the few dozens of US environmental laws passed in the 1970s, and serves as the enacting legislation to carry out the provisions outlined in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. -
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Oil Embargo
During the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) imposed an embargo against the United States in retaliation for the U.S. decision to resupply the Israeli military and to gain leverage in the post-war peace negotiations. -
CITES
is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals. It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The convention was opened for signature in 1973 and CITES entered into force on 1 July 1975. -
The Toxic Substances Control Act
is a United States law, passed by the United States Congress in 1976 and administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, that regulates the introduction of new or already existing chemicals. -
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Signed into Law
Due to the volume of municipal and industrial waste, the U.S. created the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965 to protect human health, the environment, energy conservation and resources, reduce the amount of waste generated and ensuring the management of waste in an environmentally safe way. -
Alternative Energy Institute
was West Texas A&M University's alternative energy research branch. Formed in 1977, the program was nationally and internationally recognized, and along with research provides education and outreach around the U.S. and the globe. -
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1978 – 2004 :Love Canal Disaster
is a neighborhood within Niagara Falls, New York. 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 Island Accident
In Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, a U.S. commercial nuclear power plant experienced failures in the relief valve system which lead to large amounts of nuclear reactor coolant to escape. The incident was rated a 5 out of 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. -
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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. It is considered to be the world's worst industrial disaster. -
Chernobyl Nuclear Explosion
While undergoing a power failure test, there was a nuclear explosion during the emergency shutdown of a reactor. Many people passed away from the explosion, and people have since died due to the exposure to radiation during the explosion. -
5 Billion People Worldwide
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The Montreal Protocol finalized
is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS). -
The Exxon Valdez oil spill
occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, March 24, 1989, when Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker owned by Exxon Shipping Company, bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince -
The Lacey Act
is a 1900 United States law that bans trafficking in illegal wildlife. In 2008, the Act was amended to include plants and plant products such as timber and paper. This landmark legislation is the world's first ban on trade in illegally sourced wood products. -
Gulf War Oil Spil
During the Gulf War, there was a strategy to prevent the U.S. Marines from landing, however the oil spill caused 11 million barrels of oil to be released into the ocean. Some studies have said the damage was not long term, however others have said that to this day there is still large quantities of oil in the marshlands. -
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The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
also known as the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, the Rio Summit, the Rio Conference, and the Earth Summit, was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992. -
World Food Summit
The Declaration of the World Food Summit was adapted which established the summit as an international working group. They set guidelines and discuss the right to food around the world. -
Food Quality Protection Act
The Food Quality Protection Act was put in place to regulate the way the Environmental Protection Agency managed pesticides in the production of our foods. This established the creation of safer pesticides for public consumption. -
Kyoto Protocol Effective
A protocol which addressed climate change in the world. It serves as an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and human made CO2 emissions. It was first enacted in Japan in 1997 and has become established internationally. -
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Gulf of Mexico 11 human killed; 17 human injured; 8000+ Marine organism affected -
7 Billion People Worldwide
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Period: to
Paris climate accord
The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, dealing with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance, starting in the year 2020.
