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Population Hits 1 Billion
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Population Hits 2 Billion
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Clean Water Act
a. Introduced in 1948, expanded in 1972
b. Sets wastewater standards
c. Sets national water quality criteria -
Founding of IUCN
o October 5, 1948 in Fontainebleau, France
o Purpose is to Analyze human impact on nature
o work is based on the protection of species and their habitats
o encourages conservation action around the globe -
Minamata Disaster
a. Contamination discovered in May 1956
b. Mercury contamination from a factory that dumped waste into the water and contaminated the fish, an essential part of the Japanese diet
c. Disaster created its own disease: Minamata disease
d. Symptoms:
i. Ataxia, dysarthria, constriction of visual field, tremor, and birth defects -
Population Hits 3 Billion
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Rachel Carson’s "Silent Spring" Published
a. Published in September 1962
b. Called for a change in how societies operate so that people can be more critical of what the government is allowing to be put into the environment
c. Faced heavy criticism by the chemical industry and the government -
Memphis Sanitation Strike
a. February 12, 1968, to April 16, 1968
b. Two garbage truck employees were crushed by bad infrastructure sparked a movement for the better treatment of black sanitation workers in America
c. Supported by Martin Luther King
d. Was a call to action to improve conditions for environmental workers -
Cuyahoga River Fire
a. June 22, 1969
b. A passing train caught the oil covered pieces of debris floating on the river on fire
c. Cuyahoga was considered one of the most polluted rivers -
First Earth Day
a. April 22, 1970
b. Started as a college event to raise awareness for air and water pollution and its effects
c. 20 million Americans took action -
Clean Air Act
a. Established in 1970
b. The EPA is required to keep track of and regulate any emissions that could cause harm to air quality
c. Has successfully helped improve air quality -
Gaia Hypothesis
a. Developed in 1972 by James E. Lovelock and Lynn Margulis
b. Hypothesis that claims “all living things have a regulatory effect on the Earth’s environment; Earth is homeostatic in support of life-sustaining conditions" -
Endangered Species Act
a. Passed in 1973
b. Protection for endangered species and their habitats
c. 99% of species on the ESA list have avoided extinction -
Population Hits 4 Billion
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Whaling (Save the Whale)
a. Founded in 1977 before the 1986 ban on whaling
b. Focuses on education on the importance of marine life, especially whales -
Bhopal Disaster
a. Chemical leak on December 3, 1984, in Bhopal, India
b. 45 tons of methyl isocyanate was released from an insecticide factory
c. Thousands killed immediately; final death toll is around 15,000 to 20,000
d. Survivors suffered symptoms such as eye issues and irritation and respiratory problems -
Hole in Ozone Discovered
a. May 16, 1985
b. Scientists discovered that ozone values were dropping in the spring each year since 1970
c. Hole covers antarctica -
Chernobyl Disaster
a. Occurred in Pripyat in 1986
b. Occurred because of a flawed reactor design and operator error
c. At least thirty fast deaths due to radiation exposure -
Population Hits 5 Billion
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Exxon Oil Spill
a. Occurred in March of 1989
b. Second worst oil spill
c. Affected 1,300 miles of shoreline off Alaska
d. Killed over 250,000 animals -
Hybrid Cars in Japan
a. Toyota Prius was the first ever mass-produced hybrid vehicle
b. Sold in Japan in 1997
c. Was sold overseas in the following years -
Kyoto Protocol
a. Adopted December 11, 1997
b. Targets countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions -
Population Hits 6 Billion
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Documentary Film "An Inconvenient Truth" Released
a. Released 2006
b. Sparked a global movement of people wondering what they can do to help stop climate change -
Population Hits 7 Billion
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The Paris Agreement
a. International treaty on climate change, adopted on December 12, 2015
b. The goal is to keep global warming down 2 degrees Celsius in contrast to pre-industrial temperatures
c. Adopted by 196 parties, more have joined since