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First National Park: Yellowstone
Increased awareness of and sensitivity towards nature and desires to preserve it. It also lead the way for more National Parks to be created. -
Founding of IUCN
The International Union for the Protection of Nature globally. Supported by governments across the globe. Global awareness of environmental issues arose. -
Minamata
Minamata was discovered in the Agano River Basin. This event was caused by fish and shellfish that
was contaminated by a chemical plant. As a result, disease spread which affected the nervous system leading to 2,265 confirmed patients for compensation after investigation. This event, however, led to the Minamata Environmental Movement which raises awareness of industrial pollution of seawater. -
Rachel Carson's Silent Spring
This is a novel that goes against the use of DDT, which caused widespread natural abnormalities and sickness. The novel also led to a public awareness that DDT was in fact not all positive, but that it carried a lot of negatives (like the ones stated above). -
Environmental Defense Fund
The Environmental Defense Fund is a leading national nonprofit organization representing more than 3 million activists and members. They raise funds to spread awareness about conservation and preservation to millions of people. -
1st Earth Day Created
In just the first earth day an estimated 20 million people attended in the US leading to a spread of awareness of the importance of protecting the environment. -
Gaia Hypothesis
Developed in 1972. In this hypothesis there is the belief that earth is viewed as a whole and can be viewed as a single organism. Living and non-living are thought as one with earth. The Gaia Hypothesis influenced the Deep Ecology Movement. -
The Bhopal Disaster
In the Bhopal Disaster tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked in India causing 3,800 people to die. The company responsible paid $470 million in compensation for the worst industrial event in history. This event raised questions about the government responsibility for industrial accidents. -
The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
This is the first convention to be signed by every country involved therefore reaching global unification. It was aimed to promote cooperation among nations by discussing the negative effects of humanity's actions on the Ozone layer. -
Hole in the ozone layer discovered
Jonathan Shanklin discovered a hole in the ozone layer (the ozone layer is a shield that absorbed harmful UV rays from the sun). This event sparked an environmental movement that led to the banning of chemicals which destroy the ozone layer. -
Chernobyl
Chernobyl was when a nuclear reactor exploded due to a flaw in the design because it was operated by an inadequately trained personnel. The reactor deposited radioactive waste throughout Europe, like Ukraine. This event led to environmental movements forming in Europe, like the Green Party. -
Sandoz Chemical Disaster
In this event, chemical storehouse contaminated the environment as more than a thousand chemicals were released due to a fire. For instance, thousands of liters of highly toxic pesticides and deadly mercury contaminated the Rhine River. This event led to the public rethinking how the industrial world has an impact on the environmental one. -
The Montreal Protocol
This protocol is a global agreement for the stratospheric ozone layer. Protocol has helped slow global warming by reducing greenhouse gases. The event also sparked a global investment in alternate technologies and spurred the formation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. -
Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The patch is a concentration of plastic in the Pacific ocean. Here microplastics are found in mass concentrations. The event led to more public awareness of ocean pollution and the harm of microplastics. -
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol asks countries to establish protocols and policies to minimize and limit the production of greenhouse gases. So, it set targets for countries to aim for in terms of sustainability goals. Thirty-seven countries partners with the protocol. -
E.coli detected in Canadian waters
In this disaster, five deaths and twenty-seven were hospitalized due to an outbreak of E.coli in Walkerton, Ontario (population of 5k). This event lead to a public demand on government to regulate cleanliness of water. -
Clear Skies legislation
This legislation provides incentives to reduce power plant emissions and cap emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury from electric power generation. This event helps the US meet its national air quality goals as it helps reduce smog. -
Documentary of An Inconvenient Truth
The documentary is based on the formed US vice president's lecturing tours about global warming and climate change. It helped educate the public about environmental issues. This documentary inspired other environmental documentaries to form globally, like Under the Dome. So, this lead to global awareness of environmental issues through the media of lenses. -
Paris Agreement goes into affect
It is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. The agreement was adopted by 196 parties at UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, France. Goals are set to limit climate change. This agreement created a framework for countries to regulate their climate related aspects as it set targets. Not only that, but the Paris Agreement inspired countries to set carbon neutral goals.