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Minamata Disease
in Japan a chemical factory called Chisso in Minamata released large quantities of industrial wastewater that was contaminated with highly toxic methylmercury. Due to this, a disease called the Minimata disease was spread, causing hundred of casualties. -
'Silent Springs' was published
an Environmental science book. It mainly focuses on the adverse environmental effects caused by the extensive use of pesticides. It changed people’s ideas about the environment and even influenced them to take action. This book is partly responsible for the strong ecology movement and the strength of the grassroots environmental movement. -
The First Earth Day
This is an event to show support for the environment and today 193 countries are involved. It is opened for anyone who would like to help the environment and they can do different activities like plant trees, shop with cloth bag instead of using plastic bags, etc -
Gaia Hypothesis
Topics related to the hypothesis include how the biosphere and the evolution of organisms affect the stability of global temperature, salinity of seawater, atmospheric oxygen levels, the maintenance of a hydrosphere of liquid water and other environmental variables that affect the habitability of Earth. -
'The Limits to Growth' was published
it was written by an MIT team led by Dennis Meadows. This book has been attacked repeatedly since its publication but its warning about climate change were prescient. The main reason of criticism towards this book was because people did not want to believe the crisis they were going to face in the future and the idea that the earth is finite. -
The Chernobyl Accident
it took place at the Chernobyl Nuclear Water Plant located in the Soviet Union. There was a catastrophic nuclear that was caused because the graphite moderated nuclear power reactor and other reactors found at the plant resulted in uncontrolled reactions due to a power failure in the station. This created immediate explosions and an open graphite fire. There was a national and international spread of radioactive material from the accident. -
Brundtland Report
The UN set up this commission on the environment and development, it was emphasized on sustainable development. The goal which is to provide the essential requirements to the world’s poor and the idea of technology and social organization suggests that there are limits on the possibilities for the environment to provide for the world’s present and future needs. -
The Montreal Protocol
The protocol aims to regulate and manage the amount of chemical released into the air that hinder the ozone layer, by international agreements and precautionary measures. Each country involved is therefore obliged to report annually the statistics of their current situation regarding production and how it affects the ozone layer.
The Montreal Protocol is considered to be the most successful treaty. -
The Earth Summit
it was held in Rio de Janeiro, and it brought together leaders of 105 nations with the intention of rethinking economic growth, advancing in social equality, and ensuring environmental protection. -
The Kyoto Protocol
It commits its signatories to reducing Greenhouse gas emissions. The protocol recognizes that, mainly, developed countries are responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions because of big industrial activity over the past years. During the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, 37 industrialized countries committed to reduce their GHG emissions by 5% compared to the 1997 levels. -
'An Inconvenient Truth' Documentary was released
it was directed by Davis Guggenheim. It is about former United states vice president Al Gore's campaign to educate people about global warming. The film features a comprehensive slide show, it is a documentary on the threat that climate change poses to the earth, its causes, effects and history and potential solutions to it. -
Energy Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
There was an energy accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant initiated by a 15-metre tsunami which followed the Tōhoku earthquake of magnitude 9.0. Due to the accident, some radioactive elements escaped from Fukushima and caused the release of radioactive material into the sea for a long time and the damage in biodiversity is very visible in Fukushima and the areas around. -
The Paris Climate Agreement
The Paris climate Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and it deals with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance, starting in the year 2020. This agreements aim is to make stronger the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. -
Sixth Mass Extinction
Human behaviour is on the verge of causing a mass-extinction, the sixth in the world’s history. Wildlife is dying out due to many factors as habitat destruction, overhunting, toxic pollution, human overpopulation, continued population growth, and overconsumption. -
The Ocean Clean Up
Starting in the Pacific Ocean considered as the most polluted ocean. It will reduce enormously the number of dead animals in the oceans, fewer animals will lose their habitats. And the ocean will be clean again. It will also be needed a support team helping humans to do not throw their trash into the sea.