-
Chisso Factory, Minamata Japan
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 Minamata was spread, causing hundreds of casualties. -
Silent springs: an Environmental science book
Focuses on the adverse environmental effects caused by the extensive use of pesticides. Changed people’s ideas about the environment and even influenced them to take action. Partly responsible for the strong and the strength of the grassroots environmental movement. Had an influence in the Clean Air and Water Acts to the establishment of Earth Day to President Nixon’s founding of the Environmental Protection Agency and in the banning of the use of DDT. -
James Lovelock
James Lovelock is an independent scientist, environmentalist and futurist who lives in Dorset, England. He is best known by his hypothesis which predicate that the Earths functions are a self- regulating system. As the believes that the Biosphere has a regulatory effect to sustain life on Earth. -
The First Earth Day
the first Earth Day was the 22nd of April of 1970. This is an event to show support for the environment involving 193 countries. Activities like planting trees, shopping with cloth bags instead of using plastic bags, etc. It created immediate impacts: the chemical called dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, got banned after it was discovered that it weakened the shells of bird eggs and after, endangered species like bald eagles, peregrine falcons, etc. got out of the danger of extinction. -
Book: The limits to growth
The limits to growth is a book published in 1972 and written by an MIT team led by Dennis Meadows. This book has been attacked repeatedly since its publication but its warning about climate change was persistent. 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
The Chernobyl accident took place the 25-26th of April 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
Brundtland Report (Our common future). The UN set up this commission on the environment and development, it was emphasized on sustainable development. The definition of sustainable development emphasizes 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. -
Montreal Protocol
Montreal Protocol was signed by 46 countries in order 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 Earth Summit
Held in Rio de Janeiro, it brought together leaders of 105 nations with the intention of rethinking economic growth, advancing in social equality, and ensuring environmental protection. The outcome was the agreement to major treaties. This raised awareness on environmental issues. It was successful in certain aspects, however, the inability of governments to properly implement the commitments made in Rio 92 was proven years later now that the world is suffering more than ever. -
The Kyoto Protocol
It is an international agreement signed on December 11th 1997, in Kyoto, Japan. 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. This agreement helps raise awareness on climate change. It can influence countries which maybe don’t have a strong opinion on climate change and are in time to take action still. -
“An inconvenient truth” - American Documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim.
“An inconvenient truth” It is a 2006 American documentary. It is about former United States vice president Al Gore's campaign to educate people about global warming. It is a documentary on the threat that climate change poses to the earth, its causes, effects and history and potential solutions to it. People admired it and decided to speak out and teach others about climate change, “the climate movement exploded”. People started caring more about the environment and making sustainable choices. -
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
At 2:46 pm on Friday 11th March there was an energy accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant initiated by a 15 meter 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
It 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 agreement adapts countries to its effects. Its aim is to strengthen 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 behavior 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 sixth mass extinction is seriously threatening the world’s food supplies. -
The Ocean Clean up
The Ocean Clean up starting in the Pacific Ocean. Through investigations, scientists say that it would be able to collect half of the plastic located in there. This project will float 62 mile long solid curved barriers and it is made of thermoplastic and high-density polythene; environmentally friendly materials. It will reduce the number of dead animals in the oceans. It will also be needed a support team helping humans to do not throw their trash into the sea.