Timeline Project

By Divy Patel

  • 1 Billion milestone

    Humanity reached 1 billion population in 1804

  • 2 Billion Milestone

    Humanity reached 2 Billion population in 1930

  • Love Canal

    • Summary description: Love canal was an environmental disaster that occurred in the love canal neighborhood of Niagara falls, New York, in the late 1970’s. It was a unfinished project that was used as a chemical dumpsite, where toxic chemicals were thrown. Due to poor management, the chemical leaked into the whole neighborhood which then resulted in death of 725 people and thousands were affected with some of the effects being passed to the next generation.

  • Minamata disaster

    • Summary description: It was caused by the release of Methylmercury released by a chemical plant. It resulted in the damage of the environment and the death of Many people. More than 200 people died in this disease and the government gave out a sum of 144 Billion Yen. • URL (web address): https://www.env.go.jp/en/chemi/hs/minamata2002/summary.html

  • 3 Billion Milestone

    Humanity reached 3 Billion population in 1960

  • Rachel Carson's silent spring

    Summary description: It is a book written by Rachel Carlson in 1960’s. It discussed the dangers of the chemicals like DDT. It was opposed by many chemical companies but it succeeded in swaying the public opinion and lead to a reversal in US pesticide policy, a nationwide ban on DDT for agriculture uses and an environmental movement that lead to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency

  • Stockholm Conference

    • Summary description: It was a conference held by the United Nations in 1972 to address environmental issues and promote sustainability. It was the first of its kind. A document with 26 principles that put environmental issues at the forefront of international concerns was passed.

  • Endangered Species Act

    Endangered species act which was passed in 1973 helps all the governments around the world know and protect species that are about to go extinct or are threatened along with their respective environment. ESA currently protects 2375 species who are on the verge of extinction or will be.
    https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/endangered-species-act#:~:text=The%20Endangered%20Species%20Act%20of,habitats%20both%20domestically%20and%20abroad.

  • 4 Billion Milestone

    Humanity reached 4 Billion population in 1974

  • Bhopal Disaster

    • Summary description: It was more than 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. It resulted in casualties of more than 3800 people immediately and many thousand more from the side effects of it. The company responsible for this was taken to court and had to pay 470 million dollars in moral responsibility.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1142333/

  • Chernobyl meltdown

    • Summary description: Chernobyl meltdown is one of the worst nuclear disasters in human history. It was caused by the explosion of the 4th reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The official death toll was reported as 31 but the UN estimated that is could be as high as 50. The response involved more than 500000 personnel and costed around 18 billion roubles. URL (web address): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster

  • 5 Billion Milestone

    Humanity reached 5 Billion population in 1986

  • Montreal Protocol

    • Summary description: Montreal protocol is an internation agreement that aims to protect the ozone layer by reducing the production and use of ozone depleting substances (ODS). It was adopted in 1987 and went into effect in 1989. It was the first time in human history that the whole world agreed on something. It helped save the ozone layer.

  • Kyoto protocol

    Kyoto protocol was a international agreement that committed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It was First adopted by Japan in 1997 and then the rest of the world and it went into effect in 2005. It reduced carbon emission levels by the average of 5 percent below 1990 levels between 2009 and 2012. It was replaced by the Paris agreement in 2016
    https://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol#:~:text=In%20short%2C%20the%20Kyoto%20Protocol,accordance%20with%20agreed%20individual%20targets.

  • 6 Billion Milestone

    Humanity reached 6 Billion population in 1998

  • Documentary film An Inconvenient Truth

    • Summary description: It is a documentary addressing the effects of Global warming made by Davis Guggenheim. It raised awareness about global warming and reenergizing the environmental movement. It was also included in a science curricula in schools around the world, which spread some controversy. • URL (web address): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconvenient_Truth

  • 7 Billion Milestone

    Humanity reached 7 Billion population in 2011

  • 8 Billion Milestone

    Humanity reached 8 Billion population in 2022