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Panama Canal
This 48 mile canal opened in 1914. The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific ocean which allows a much faster and safer route than previously used. The canal connects world trade. Upgrading the canal has also caused a lot of deforestation, affecting the fragile ecosystem. -
Great Smog of '52
Severe air pollution in London created a horrible smog for several days. The cold weather and windless conditions collected air pollutants. The pollutants were from the major use of coal in the city. The smog lasted for four days. -
Castle Bravo
This was the codename of the first U.S. test of a dry fuel thermonuclear hydrogen bomb, The bomb created 15 megatons of TNT which far exceeded the U.S. expectations. The explosion led to the biggest accidental radiation contaminations caused by the U.S. -
Minamata Disease
This disease was discovered in Japan in 1956. It's a neurological syndrom caused by severe mercury poisoning. The mercury poisoning was caused by the release of methylmercury in industrial wastewater by Chisso co. The toxic chemicals got into the systems of fish and shellfish which locals then ate. -
Shrinking of the Aral Sea
The shrinking of the sea began in the 1960s when the Soviet Union created an irrigation project to divert the rivers which supplied water to the Aral Sea. The sea started shrinking and split into a northern and a southern part. Many fishing communities that relied on the sea died, and the water became contaminated with agricultural chemicals. -
Ecocide in Vietnam
The U.S. sprayed areas of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War with deadly herbicides. By 1967, 1.5 million acres of forest was defoliated and more than 200,000 acres of crop land destroyed. Vietnamese starved, and suffered diseases and deformities from the effects of the chemicals. -
Silent Spring
Silent Spring was a book written by Rachel Carson which raised awareness about the harm pesticides and insecticides wreck on the environment. Her book helped push through many pesticide bans included the use of DDT in 1972. -
The Palomares Incident
During the Cold War, a U.S. B-52 bomber collided with a KC 135 tanker off the coast of Spain, and the B-52 broke apart. Four bombs dropped from the plane and nonnuclear explosives in two of the bombs detonated. This contaminated a 2 sq km area with plutonium and radioactive material, including residential areas. -
Tragedy of the Commons
In 1968 ecologist Garret Hardin explored in his article the idea of "Tragedy of the Commons." This term refers to the overuse and depletion of shared resources by individuals who act alone for their own interest. If every person gets what they want, then the resources will die out. -
First Earth Day
Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin was surprised that the importance of the environment was not emphasized in public media, so he created Earth Day. An estimated 20 million people joined the festivites that day. Earth day later helped to create national legislation like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. -
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
Scientists started investigating this dead zone in 1970. A dead zone is a zone with no oxygen and therefore it is almost completely deviod of life. This phenomenon happens every summer in the Gulf. Mostly it results from nutrients from fertilizer use running into rivers and then bodies of water like the Gulf. The nutrients create algae blooms which then die and consume all the oxygen. -
Environmental Protection Agency
This agency was proposed by President Nixon and began operating in 1970. It is an agency of the federal government to protect the environment and human health. It enforces regulations of laws passed in Congress, looks at environmental problems and educates the people. -
Door to Hell
In Turkmenistan soviet geologists were drilling in 1971 and they found a cavern filled with natural gas. They decided to burn it off so it did not release poisonous gases, but amazingly it is still burning today. -
The Seveso Disaster
This disaster was an industrial accident in a small chemical manufacturing plant in Italy. The accident resulted in the highest known exposure to the chemical TCDD in residents. 3.300 animals were dead just in the first few days, and many residents in surronding towns were evacuated. Many of these people had skin irritations like chloracne. -
The Love Canal
A canal was being built in the 1800s, but the project failed and the large pit has been used by chemical plants to dump waste. For the most part, unknowingly, a town and school were built on top of the old pit. In 1976 heavy rains washed a lot of chemicals from the pit and residents started experiencing strange symptoms. In the following years there were more stillborns, miscarriages, and birth defects. -
Amoco Cadiz
The Amoco Cadiz ran aground on Portsall Rocks off the coast of France and split into three parts. This resulted in the largest oil spill up to that time. The oil spread very far, effecting many beaches and inland areas too. This was also the largest recorded loss of marine life up to that time. -
Three Mile Island Nuclear Explosion
This was a nuclear meltdown of 1 of the 2 nuclear reactors in Dauphin County Pennsylvania. The meltdown released small amounts of radioactive gases and radioactive iodine into the environment. -
The Bhopal Disaster
The disaster was a gas leak in India were 500,00 people were exposed to to methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals, spreading around nearby towns. An estimated 2,000 to 4,000 people died, and 1,000 animals. -
Chernobyl Nuclear Explosion
This was a catastrophic nuclear accident in Ukraine. The explosion and fire at the plant released radioactive chemicals that spread over tens of thousands of square miles. Many towns had to be evacuated, and still are today. The rivers and lakes of the towns were greatly affected by the chemicals. -
Pacific Gyre Garbage Patch
This phenomenon was predicted in a 1988 paper. The patch is a gyre of plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris trapped by the currents of the North Pacific. Many ocean animals are affected; they eat the plastic pieces, many of which are toxic and they cannot digest these pieces. -
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
In Prince William Sound, Alaska an Exxon Valdez oil tanker hit Bligh Reef, causing 260,000 to 750,000 barrels of crude oil to spill over the next few days; 11 million gallons total. The immediate effects were the death of 100,000-250,000 sea birds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals and many more animals. And overall there was a population reduction in many marine animals. -
Kuwait Oil Fires
The fires started in January and Febuary of 1991 in Kuwait. The invading Iraqi military set fire to 700 oil wells as part of a scorched earth policy. The fires burned out of control, and around six million barrels of oil were lost each day. This caused widespread air and soil pollution. -
Libby Montana Asbestos Contamination
People started mining in Libby Montana in 1919, and were being affected by toxic asbestos dust from mineral mines. Residents were even dieing of asbestos related diseases like mesothelioma and lung problems. The problem was finally brought to the public's attention in 1999. -
Baia Mare Cyanide Spill
A dam containing contaminated water broke and leaked cyanide near Baia Mare, Romania into Somes River by the gold mining company Aurul. The contamination leaked into other rivers, and killed a large number of fish, and made it hard for fishing industries. -
Al-mishraq Fire
A state run sulfur plant in Iran caught fire, creating the largest human made release of sulfur dioxide ever. The fire burned for almost one month, and a lot of vegetation was killed. Also many people, especially the firefighters, were taken to the hospital with injuries. -
Jilin Chemical Plant Explosions
A petrochemical plant in Jilin City, China exploded, and there were a series of explosions for an hour. Six people died, dozens were injured and it caused tens of thousands of evacuations. The explosions also created an 80 km long toxic slick in the Songhua and Amur rivers. -
Sidoarjo Mud Flow
A mud volcano in Indonesia has been erupting since May 2006, coating surronding areas with the thick mud. The mud slides have effected the environment and have hurt local roadways and villages. -
An Inconvenient Truth
This is a 2006 documentary film about former U.S. Vice Presidents Al Gore's campaign to educate the public about global warming. The movie has been given credit for raising global awareness of climate change. -
TVA Kingston Fossil Plant Coal Fly Ash Slurry Spill
In Roane County, Tennessee an ash dike ruptured at Kingstone Fossil Plant dumping out 1.1 billion gallons of coal, flyash, and slurry. The slurry invaded several waterways by the plant and covered the surronding area, affecting the land and damaging homes. -
BP Oil Spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 people. The rig dumped 4.9 million barrels, and the Gulf is still not completely oil free today. The oil sludge greatly damaged wildlife in and around the ocean, which in turn affected the fishing industry badly. -
Fukushima Daiichi
The nuclear power plant in Japan suffered damage from an earthquake and tsunami. The plant released radioactive material into the environment and contaminating farmland, soil and forests. -
Three Gorges Dam
As of July 4th 2012, Three Gorges is a fully functional hydroelectric dam which spans the Yangtze River in China. It is the world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity, and reduces 31 million tons of coal consumption per year. -
E-waste in Guiyu, China
A 2013 U.N. report called it an "environmental calamity." Guiyu may be the largest area of electronic waste or discarded electronic devices. Many recycling operations in Guiyu are primitive; they are toxic and dangerous to workers' health. As a result the water is so polluted it is undrinkable there, and the soil is contaminated.
