History of the Environmental Movement Timeline

By trevor_g

  • Human Population Reaches 1 Billion

  • National Park Service Created

    President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service to better manage the growing U.S. National Park System. The service protected the 35 national parks to conserve the natural beauty of the U.S.

  • Human Population Reaches 2 Billion

  • Founding of IUCN

    As an international union created to protect nature, the IUCN helped foster global cooperation and scientific knowledge that served to take action against damage to the environment by humans.

  • Minamata

    The Chisso factory located in Minamata, Japan was discharging methylmercury as a byproduct of production into the nearby sea. This contaminated the fish and shellfish, causing residents of Minamata to suffer from various symptoms of poisoning such as paresthesia, visual and hearing difficulties, and damaged neurological functions.

  • Human Population Reaches 3 Billion

  • Rachel Carson's Silent Spring Published

    Carson put together various cases of humankind's damage to the environment to make a compelling argument for the environmental movement. He mentioned how pesticides such as DDT were threats to bird and fish populations, which could end up making children ill.

  • Cuyahoga River Fire

    The Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire after debris covered with oil was ignited by the sparks of a passing train. Nearby manufacturing plants in the industrial powerhouse of Cleveland had polluted the river. This added on to already looming pressure for environmental regulation.

  • Earth Day

    To raise awareness of environmental issues facing the world, millions of Americans joined together in rallies and marches on the first Earth Day. The movement aimed to encourage political action for sustainability and environmental protection.

  • Gaia Hypothesis

    James Lovelock suggested that living organisms interact with their inorganic environment in a way that creates a balance that makes life possible. Environmentalists used his work to argue the importance of maintaining species to regulate climates and ecosystems.

  • Congress passed Endangered Species Act

    With strong bipartisan support, the act allowed the public to petition to have species listed as endangered or threatened. Listed species are required to have protection and monitoring for recovery.

  • Human Population Reaches 4 Billion

  • Whaling (save the whale)

    Greenpeace began the anti-whaling campaign in Vancouver, which sparked the "Save the Whales" movement. Supporters blocked whales from being harpooned from Soviet boats. The International Whaling Commission accepted a stop on commercial whaling in 1986.

  • Bhopal

    45 tons of the toxic gas methyl isocyanate escaped from a plant owned by the Union Carbide Corporation. It killed 15,000 - 20,000 people as it traveled across the dense neighborhoods. Around a half a million survivors claim various injuries from the event.

  • Chernobyl

    Operators at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine failed to follow proper procedures and a power surge led to the destruction of one of the reactors. 115,000 people were evacuated and 220,000 were resettled due to the radioactive wasteland that was created. Thousands of people potentially had cancer as a result of the incident and it created a fear of nuclear energy in the world.

  • Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act

    This act served to increase the public’s knowledge of chemicals at facilities. Industries have to release information about the release of toxic chemicals to the public and government.

  • Human Population Reaches 5 Billion

  • Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

    An oil tanker owned by Exxon spilled 11 million gallons of oil into Alaska’s waters. The spill stretched over 1,300 miles and killed thousands of sea wildlife.

  • Kyoto

    The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty adopted to help combat global warning by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. 41 countries and the European Union agreed to reduce emissions to below 1990 levels.

  • Human Population Reaches 6 Billion

  • Documentary film An Inconvenient Truth released

    A controversial film that warned the public that our advancements in comfort have come at the cost of changing the atmosphere. It made the point that humans would face disastrous challenges in farming if the trend did not change. This ignited further debate between pro-industry politicians and environmental activists.

  • BP Oil Spill

    The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico created the largest oil spill in history. The accident killed 11 workers and there was a peak of 60,000 barrels of oil being released a day. The accident killed many marine life and cleanup of 1,100 miles of shoreline was required.

  • Human Population Reaches 7 Billion

  • Paris Agreement

    World leaders came to a compromise to combat climate change. The agreement aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the global temperature increase to only 2 degrees Celsius in the 21st century. It also created a more organized system for developed nations to assist developing nations in working toward more sustainable infrastructure.

  • Greta Thunberg's Activism

    Greta Thunberg ‘s school strike for the climate transitioned into a worldwide movement to demand action on climate change. Her speeches and appearances have influenced a new generation of climate activism.