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Population Reaches 1 Billion
When the population in our planet reached one billion people, some drastic environmental changes started to happen. More people meant more products, food, and other goods that required deforestation and ended up causing pollution. Overhunting and habitat loss were also common. Carbon dioxide started spreading through the air as people started burning more fossil fuels. This led scientists and other groups to begin movements and promote policies to clean water and the air. -
Plowing up the World's Grasslands
One of the great transformations in global environmental history has been the plowing up of the world's grasslands to grow grain. The process began at the western end of the Eurasian steppes, in present-day southern Russia and Ukraine, in the second half of the eighteenth century. This is important to the modern environmental movement because it provides a new way to grow grain and make food without polluting the earth. -
Love Canal Movement
Initially built to be a "dream community" in Niagara Falls, New York, Love Canal turned into an environmental nightmare when repurposed as a wasteland...This calamity reinvented the ways in which people view the environment, displaying how harmful pollution can be, and stated that companies should be more cautious and responsible with the chemicals they might release into nature. -
Population Reaches 2 Billion
Around the end of the 1920s the world’s population hit around 2 billion people. This increase in population affected the environment since society needed more goods. Oil waste, industrial waste and sewage were a large problem. These issues accelerated pollution. This resulted in cities in the US starting to check air pollution and keep their pollution levels in check. An increase in environmental movements began with people calling out politics to take care of the planet. -
Founding of IUCN
This union allows private, public, and non-governmental organizations to use their own knowledge to enable human progress, economic development, and nature conservation. The IUCN responds to emerging challenges of the world to help make a better solution using knowledge of everyone around the world. They mostly chose to face the issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Their solutions help to conserve nature and sustain the use of natural resources. -
Minamata
The dumping of mercury into water led to tragic deaths and severe birth defects, prompting a strong reaction from affected communities. In response, a movement advocating for environmental rights emerged from the suffering in Minamata, Japan. This movement highlighted the necessity of prioritizing the well-being of nature for the survival of both ecosystems and human populations. -
Population Reaches 3 Billion
The population milestone of 3 billion is noteworthy because never before had the world’s population increased so quickly. The world had gained a billion people in 33 years, and a rapid spike in population growth occurred after that. Soon in the future, people would see this rapid population growth as a problem, and people would begin proposing solutions. -
"Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
The publication of this book about pollution helped the public become aware how modern technologies (chemicals) harm the environment. It even caught the attention of politicians. This is significant to the modern environmental movement because it helped begin environmental activism in the U.S. -
Santa Barbara Oil Spill
This oil explosion caused a modern environmental movement and the trajectory of oil and gas exploration changed in numerous ways. A federal moratorium was placed and banned offshore drilling in the federal waters of California. President Nixon singed the National Environmental Policy Act. Water and Air in California have become much less polluted because of these Acts and precautions. -
Fire on the Cuyahoga River
Due to pollution in the Cuyahoga River, it caught fire. The fire brought public concern for pollution, and multiple pollution-control laws were created as a result. This is significant to the modern environmental movement because it contributed to the founding of the EPA, which still stands today. -
The First Earth Day
The first Earth Day in 1970 led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency as well as numerous eco-friendly laws such as the Clean Water and Endangered Species Act. This was important to the modern environmental views because it showed people that the problem was serious, and that people were starting to take steps towards a cleaner earth. -
Ban of DDT
The EPA’s banning the DDT pesticide was a major step in the modern environmental movement because it brought forth a requirement for examining the health effects of other dangerous pesticides polluting the environment. -
Congress Enacts the Ocean Dumping Act
Congress created this law to limit water pollution. This was a major step for the modern environmental movement because it significantly reduced future polluting of the ocean. They were able to deny dozens of contracts for chemical dumping during the first three years of this act. -
Chipko Movement
Originating in 1970s India, the Chipko Movement saw people hugging trees to halt logging. With these strictly non-violent “protests,” Indian people sought to inspire others worldwide to manage their resources and become involved within their community. The movement's legacy continues to underscore the power of grassroots actions in shaping environmental consciousness. -
Population Reaches 4 Billion
The population milestone of 4 billion people was significant to the modern environmental movement because it sparked consideration for how many people the Earth can support in regards to food supply. -
Bhopal
A chemical leak in 1984 in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh state, India. At the time, it was called the worst industrial accident in history. This event changed the modern environmental movement because it showed that plants weren’t safe. After this disaster, chemical plants aren’t as common. -
The Club of Rome
An environmental movement founded in 1968 led by diverse thought leaders that promote policy initiatives and action to enable humanity to emerge from multiple planetary emergencies. In 1972, this group conducted research called the “Limits to Growth” stating that economic growth could not be sustained because of resource depletion. Even though the data wasn't correct, this awakened one of the biggest worries of modern-day activists which is the earth running out of resources. -
Whaling (Save the Whale)
In 1986, Japan implemented a moratorium to halt whaling, criminalizing the killing of whales for the illicit trade in their meat. Nonetheless, the global effort to end whaling should persist by urging governments to take responsibility, encouraging Japan to reconsider the moratorium in favor of whale conservation, and persistently revealing the illicit meat trade to foster public conversations about the future of whaling. -
Chernobyl
The 1986 Chernobyl power plant disaster released radiation into the atmosphere, affecting human populations and leading to an increase in thyroid cancer cases, particularly among children; this tragic event spurred a response that transcended national boundaries, as communities and activists protested for environmental rights and improved nuclear safety regulations. -
Population Reaches 5 Billion
This was important to the modern environmental movement because it produced a significantly larger concern about the Earth’s capability to support more people. The concern was not only about the number of people, but also about people eventually needing more nutrition, meaning more resources would be needed. The number 5 billion was not necessarily concerning, but the rate at which the population was growing. People began to realize action would need to be taken. -
Agenda 21
A non-binding, voluntarily implemented action plan of the UN about sustainable development. It promotes sustainable development globally. It influences decisions about conversation and resource use encouraging countries to consider environmental impact in their planning. It’s about balancing the economy, environment and society. This conscientizes the leaders of nations of their country environmental problems and so that they keep it in mind whenever they plan their actions. -
Kyoto Protocol
This protocol sets boundaries on developed countries to an extent that they must lower their number of emissions of greenhouse gases. This protocol results in cleaner technology and energy efficiency throughout developed countries. -
Population Reaches 6 Billion
Two of the biggest things occurring in this time were The Geo-2000 and The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The Geo-2000 is the Global Environment Outlook project, helping review the state and direction of the global environment issues. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act was passed in Australia to provide framework for protecting the environment in Australia. -
Documentary Film "An Inconvenient Truth"
An American documentary film, released in 2006, showing a presentation of former U.S. vice president Al Gore (Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.) that formed the basis for his traveling lecture tour on the emerging human challenge of global warming and climate change. This film changed views on the modern environmental movement because it brought attention to global warming. People started to make changes to help stop the problem. -
Population Reaches 7 Billion
In that year, the environment faced many issues such as record greenhouse gas emissions, the melting of arctic sea ice, many natural disasters, extreme weather, and the second nuclear disaster in the world. Because of these issues the United Nations Climate Change Conference was held to make changes with protecting our environment. The International Tropical Timber Agreement was issued to develop national policies aimed at sustainable utilization and conservation. -
Population Reaches 8 Billion
When the population hits 8 billion, more food will be consumed to feed the population. Humans will increase their reliance on the Earth's resources, inevitably adding pressure on already stressed and highly overexploited ecosystems.