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8000 BCE
Neolithic Agricultural Revolution
・Humans started farming
・Human population began to rise
・Local resources managed sustainably -
Industrial Revolution
・Population and resource use increase
・Large scale production begins
・Burning wood and coal used to produce energy
・Mining for metals to make machines
・Urban population grows
・Rise of consumerism
・Large scale pollution occurs -
Green Revolution
・Mechanized agriculture boosts food production
・More machines, technology, and fossil fuel burning
・Pesticide and fertilizer use increased a lot
・World population grew to 3 billion
・More trash and pollution -
Minamata Bay Disaster
1956-1968 -
Modern Environmental Movement
・Increased awareness of environmental problems such as endangered species, deforestation, pesticide poisoning, ozone hole, acid rain, global warming, etc.
・Environmentalists and people who care about and want to protect the environment increase
・Governments start creating laws to protect the environment -
"Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson was published
・Introduces the consequences of using the pesticide DDT
・Many people learned about this problem for the first time and it was very influential -
Greenpeace Founded
・An international organization with the mission to save the environment and increase awareness about environmental problems -
Bhopal Disaster
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Chernobyl Disaster
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Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
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Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster
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Environmentalism Today
・People are experiencing the consequences of climate change (forest fires and extreme weather such as hurricanes and typhoons)
・Greta Thunberg influences young people to demand governments do something about climate change
・Climate change becomes an important issue for politicians
