-
1 billion people
-
2 billion people
-
Love Canal
digging began on a new canal that would not be finished. Being turned into an illegal toxic waste dump, houses and a school would later be built upon this area after being leased to the department of education. This would lead to CERCLA (or the superfund act) being enacted. -
Minamata disaster
Industrial waste containing organo-mercury compounds, was dumped into the waters by the company town of Minamata. This caused severe health effects on the local population which relied on these waters for fish. -
3 billion people
-
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
Silent Spring was written by biologist Rachel Carlson about use DDT pesticides. and would become one of the most influential books of the environmental movement, influencing the banning of DDT pesticides in the states in 1972. -
Stockholm Conference
The first UN conference that was on international environmental issues. This conference has its roots in an earlier proposal by Sweden in 1968. This conference created a framework for international environmental law. -
Endangered Species Act
The endangered Species act provides a framework to protect endangered plants, fish, and wildlife. This aids in preservation of these species due to helping preserve their habitats. -
4 billion people
-
Bhopal disaster
In the Indian town of Bhopal 45 tons of methyl isocyanate gas escaped from a industrial plant. This caused a variety of health effects on the local population along with killing between 15-20 thousand people, and leaving half a million people permanently affected by exposure to the gas. -
Chernobyl meltdown
The meltdown was a cause of poor design and incompetence. The initial incident caused 2 death and 28 more in the ensuing weeks. It would also be linked to 5000 cases of thyroid cancer. 350,000 people would be evacuated. Currently resettlement efforts are in effect in certain areas. This incident would lead to more distrust in nuclear power in the world along with modification to RBMK reactors to make them safer. -
Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol was an international treaty made to regulate the production of ozone depleting chemicals. This treaty was made after evidence of a hole in the ozone layer was found and published by the British Antarctic Survey. Originally designed to reduce the production and use of CFCs and halons to 80% of 1986 levels by 1994 and 50% of 1986 levels by 1999. This protocol went into effect in 1989. Since then the agreement has been amended to completely phase out CFCs and halons. -
5 billion people
-
Kyoto protocol
The Kyoto protocol was the first addition to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to limit the amount of greenhouse emissions in industrialized countries. This caused the reduction of 6 greenhouse gasses in 41 countries’ also including nations of the EU to 5.2% below 1990 levels during the 2008-12 period. -
6 billion people
-
7 billion people
-
8 billion people