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536 BCE
The Dust Veil Event, 536 CE
AD 536-537, A thick fog/dust covered Europe and Asia Minor which resulted in dark skies. This continued for 12-18 months which, resulted in change of temperatures, drought, and food shortages. -
human population reaches 1 billion
during the industrial revolution, increased productivity supported intense population growth. -
Founding of IUCN
Established in 1948, the International Union for Conservation of Nature is an organization that focused on the impact of human activities on nature. In the 60s and 70s, the IUCN was devoted to the protection of species and their habitats. -
The Big Blow up
Summer of 1910, forest fires covered Idaho, Montana, and Washington. This finally started getting the public involved in fire prevention and policies. -
human population reaches 2 billion
improved public health standards. -
Great Smog
a thick layer of smog covered all of London. The smog was created by air pollutants from coal usage getting collected by cold weather and windless conditions. -
Minamata
Minamata Bay was polluted by mercury dumped into the harbor from a factory. The fish that were contaminated with the mercury were eaten by the people living around the bay. This caused the rise of the Minamata disease which affected over 10,000 people. -
human population reaches 3 billion
public health acts and vaccines put in place. -
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring Published
an environmental science book that spurred a reversal in the United States' national pesticide policy. -
Oil Spill in Santa Barbara
an estimated 3-million gallons of crude oil into the ocean, creating an oil slick 35 miles long, this killed thousands of marine animals and birds. -
National Oceanic and atmospheric administration
In 1970, Richard Nixon founded the national oceanic and atmospheric administration( NOAA.) It was created to monitor the oceans and atmospheres and to tell the public, information about environmental and marine ecosystems. -
Clean Air Act
In 1970, Congress established the clean air act. With the Clean air act, there is air quality standards for the 6 different pollutants. All the states are required to follow the air quality requirements and control the usage of emissions in their state. -
Earth Day
Attempts to prioritize environmental concerns. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin pushed for the idea after a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara. -
Gaia Hypothesis
In 1972 a British chemist named James E. Lovelock discovered Gaia Hypothesis. This is a idea that in order to maintain all the conditions of life on the planet, all organisms and their surroundings must form a “self-regulating complex system.” -
human population reaches 4 billion
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Whaling (save the whale)
Green Peace introduced the first anti- whaling campaign. This started the “Save the Whales Campaign” Obamas representatives are supporting overturning the commercial man on whaling and ruin decades of hard work. -
Bhopal
a gas leak occurred at a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. The immediate death toll was 2,259 and it is considered one of the world’s worst industrial disasters. -
Chernobyl
The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was caused by a faulty reactor design. During a routine maintenance check, this caused an explosion to happen and toxic steam and fire was released. This caused at least 5% of radioactive reactor core into the environment. 350,000 people were relocated and 6500 people had gotten thyroid cancer from the radiation. -
human population reaches 5 billion
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Our Common Future
Our Common Future was a report by the UN WCED and it placed environmental issues on a political agenda. The report also linked environmental concerns to development and sought to promote sustainable development through international collaboration. -
Kyoto
Kyoto was the first agreement between countries to have reductions in greenhouse emissions. It was signed at the 1992 earth summit, the average reduction for the emissions was at 5.2% in 2012. The protocol is extended to 2020 and there will be a new treaty to enforce (United States, India, and China) to reduce the emissions. -
Agenda 21
The event was coordinated by the United Nations and adopted by more than 178 governments. Agenda 21 was a blueprint for action to achieve sustainable development worldwide. The plan of action was to be taken globally, nationally, and locally by groups in which humans impact the environment. -
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shark finning
Popular since 1997, shark finning is the act of removing fins from sharks and releasing them back into the ocean. Unable to swim properly, the sharks sink to the bottom of the ocean and drown. The increasing demand is due to the fins being a key ingredient in shark fin soup, a traditional Chinese dish. -
human population reaches 6 billion
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Documentary film An Inconvenient Truth released.
The movie “An Inconvenient Truth” was released in 2006. The documentary was trying to educate the public about global warming, since many people to this day still do not believe in it. The documentary highlights Al Gore’s personal relation to the environment, greenhouse gases and emission concerns, melting glaciers, and naturals disasters due to the rising temperatures. -
Copenhagon
Copenhagen (COP-15) was a political intent to constrain carbon and respond to climate change in both short and long terms. The conference also discussed how to help the poorest nations cope with climate change. Furthermore,115 world leaders attended the conference -
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
In 2010, about 210 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. Even in 2013, marine life reportedly died at six times the average death rate. -
human population reaches 7 billion
