history of the environment

By giovannag2006
  • Oct 5, 1448

    Founding of IUCN

    In the beginning, their primary focus was to examine the effects of human’s habits on nature, but soon expanded to the protections of species and the habitats necessary for survival. The IUCN created the Red List of Threatened Species which is now the world’s most comprehensive data source on global extinction. It's now the largest and most diverse environmental network in the world.

  • Reached 1 billion

  • Whaling (save the whale)

    Overhunting whales has affected sea diversity but long term ecological consequences are unknown. Hunting these whales also affected the marine species Aswell as the food web. Then, whales themselves carry around 33 tons of CO2 so as they are being hunted, carbon is being taken out of the atmosphere.

  • Reached 2 billion

  • Minamata

    in Minamata, Japan, a petrochemical plant run by Chisso Corporation poisoned the fish in Minamata Bay by dumping 27 tons of mercury compounds into it. People were eating the fish and getting poisoned and giving birth to sick and deformed babies. In 1959, Minamata fisherman held a protest to stop Chisso from dumping toxins into the bay. Chisso finally stopped in 1968 and according to the Japanese government, 2,955 people got the disease and 1,784 have died since.

  • Reached 3 billion

  • Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring Published

    The book discussed the effects on the environment, mostly with birds, and the use of pesticides. Chemical companies were not fans of the book, but eventually it helped create a nationwide ban on DDT for agriculture and led to the US Environmental Protection Agency to be created.

  • Cuyahoga

    The Cuyahoga River in Ohio became so polluted that it caught on fire. This fire helped to raise awareness of water pollution and sparked the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

  • NEPA is signed

    President Nixon signs the NEPA which forms the Council on Environmental Quality. It advises the President on projects that would benefit the environment.

  • First Earth Day

    The first Earth Day started a yearly holiday where 20 million Americans participate in the largest growing community service project in order to make our environment better.

  • Environmental Protection agency created

    Congress authorized the Environmental Protection Agency to limit auto emissions, better air quality, and focused on anti-pollution standards. This was to try and protect the ozone layer and move towards better public health. For the first 20 years of this, more than 200,000 deaths were prevented because of the fact that they reduced to production of significantly harmful pollutants.

  • Gaia Hypothesis

    James Lovelock said that living organisms are set to interact and respond with their inert environment allowing those organisms to form a synergetic and self-regulating system. This system created the climate and biochemical conditions on Earth. The Gaia Hypothesis founded the idea that life on earth or organisms work with their abiotic surroundings and environment and that it regulates the biosphere.

  • Great Lakes water quality agreements

    The U.S. and Canada clean up the Great Lakes which now contain 95% of America’s fresh drinking water. The lakes supply drinking water to 25 million people.

  • Clean Water act

    Congress passed the Clean Water Act in order to prevent pollution in our nations waters and to provide assistance to publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities.

  • Oil embargo

    The OPEC oil embargo causes an increase in oil prices and limits supply. This leads to research into alternate energy sources besides oil.

  • Reached 4 billion

  • Resource conservation and Recovery Act

    Resource Conservation and Recovery Act gives the EPA the authority to regulate hazardous waste including the transportation, disposal, and storage of it.

  • Toxic Substance control act

    President Ford signs the Toxic Substance Control Act to control the risks caused by the number of chemicals in products and the environment.

  • Emergence EDB pesticide Ban

    The EPA decided that they wanted to suspend the useage of ethylene dibromide as a soil fumigant. Testing was done and the results showed that EDB was contaminating groundwater. Along with this, EPA suspended the other pesticide uses of EDB.

  • Bhopal

    Around 45 tons of gas methyl isocyanate was released from a plant owned by U.S.-based Union Carbide Corporation. The gas flowed through towns/neighborhoods killing thousands of people. The number of total deaths was around 15,000 to 20,000. This disaster made it evident that India needed international standards for the safety of the environment. But, since then India has faced high and fast amount of industrialization and because of that, the industrial growth was poorly regulated.

  • reached 5 billion

  • reached 6 billion

  • Documentary film An Inconvenient Truth released.

    An Inconvenient Truth drew attention to the topic of climate change and helped to increase the political divided involved with climate change. It also helped to lay groundwork for governments to work towards solutions to improve our future climate.

  • reached 7 billion