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The Panama Canal
It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. -
The Great Smog of 52
A period of cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutants mostly from the use of coal to form a thick layer of smog over the city. Although it caused major disruption due to the effect on visibility, and even penetrated indoor areas. -
Castle Bravo
the code name given to the first United States test of a dry fuel thermonuclear hydrogen bomb, Castle Bravo was the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated by the United States -
Minamata Disease
Is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision, and damage to hearing and speech. -
Silent Spring
This book inspired revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson’s book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement. -
Libby, Montana Asbestos Contamination
This is the story of a town discovering and then coping with toxic asbestos dust. It came from the vermiculite mines that supplied jobs to more than 200 residents. -
The Palomares Incident
A B-52G bomber of the USAF Strategic Air Command collided with a KC-135 tanker during mid-air refuelling at 31,000 feet over the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Spain. The KC-135 was completely destroyed when its fuel load ignited, killing all four crew members. The B-52G broke apart, killing three of the seven crew members aboard. -
Ecocide in Vietnam
It is refered to any extensive destruction of the natural environment and disruption or loss of ecosystem. Usualy of a given territory to such an extent that the survival of the inhabitants of that territory is endangered. -
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
In the 1970s oceanographers began noting increased instances of dead zones. These occur near inhabited coastlines, where aquatic life is most concentrated. -
1st Earth Day
The first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This dayis used to reflect and give back to our planet. -
Environmental Protection Agency
Is an agency of the U.S. federal government which was created for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. The EPA was proposed by President Richard Nixon. -
Door To Hell
The Door to Hell is noted for its natural gas fire which has been burning continuously since it was lit by Soviet petrochemical scientists in 1971, The pungent smell of burning sulfur pervades the area for some distance. -
The Seveso Disaster
It resulted in the highest known exposure to (TCDD) in residential populations. Which gave rise to numerous scientific studies and standardized industrial safety regulations -
Amoco Cadiz
The ship ran aground and ultimately split in three and sank, The ship contained 1,604,500 barrels of light crude oil. -
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Explosion
It was the worst accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history. The partial meltdown resulted in the release of small amounts of radioactive gases and radioactive iodine into the environment. -
The Love Canal
It was a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York. It officially covers 36 square blocks in the far southeastern corner of the city, Two bodies of water define the northern and southern boundaries of the neighborhood. -
The Bhopal Disaster
Over 500,000 people were exposed to methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals. The toxic substance made its wayinto the local towns located near the plant. Estimates on death tolll was 2,259. -
The Chernobyl Nuclear Explosion
An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere. The Chernobyl disaster is widely considered to have been the worst nuclear power plant accident -
Pacific Gyre Garbage Patch
This is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Marine debris is litter that ends up in oceans, seas, and other large bodies of water. -
The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
This oil spill was one of the most publicized and studied environmental tragedies in history. This site provides both general and highly specific information about spills and its aftermath. -
The Kuwait Oil Fires
Fires were caused by Iraqi military forces setting fire to more than 600 oil wells as part of a scorched earth policy while retreating from Kuwait. The fires started in January and February 1991 and the last one was extinguished by November 1991. -
The Al-mishraq Fire
It was the site of the largest human-made release of sulfur dioxide ever recorded when a fire gained control and burned for almost a month. At its height, the fire was putting 21,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide a day into the atmosphere. -
E-waste in Guiyu, China
There were 60,000 e-waste workers in Guiyu who processed the more than 100 truckloads that were transported to the 52 square kilometre area every day. Guiyu is nicknamed the electronic graveyard. -
Jilin Chemical Plant Explosions
The explosions killed six, injured dozens, and caused the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents. The cause of the blasts was initially determined two days after the blast: the accident site is a nitration unit for aniline equipment. -
Sidoarjo Mud Flow
This is the result of an erupting mud volcano in the subdistrict of Porong, Sidoarjo in East Java. It is the biggest mud volcano in the world -
“An Inconvenient Truth”
Documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming. -
The Shrinking of the Aral Sea
Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects. By 2007, it had declined to 10% of its original size, splitting into four lakes. -
TVA Kingston Fossil Plant Coal Fly Ash Slurry Spill
1.1 billion US gallons of coal fly ash slurry was released. The coal-fired power plant, located across the Clinch River, used ponds to dewater the fly ash. The slurry covered up to 300 acres. -
Deep water horizon BP oil spill
was an oil spill that began in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.The spill claimed 11 lives. -
Fukushima Daiichi
This was a series of equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns and releases of radioactive materials. There were six reactors and three of them blew up due to over heating, because the eltricity was cut due to flooding. -
The Three Gorges Dam
As well as producing electricity, the dam is intended to increase the Yangtze River's shipping capacity and reduce the potential for floods downstream by providing flood storage space. The Chinese government regards the project as a historic engineering, social and economic success. -
Baia Mare Cyanide Spill
There was a leak of cyanide near Baia Mare, Romania, into the Someş River by the gold mining company Aurul.
The polluted waters eventually reached the Tisza and then the Danube, killing large numbers of fish in Hungary and Yugoslavia. -
Tragedy of the Commons
Depletion of a shared resource by individuals, acting independently and rationally according to each one's self-interest, despite their understanding that depleting the common resource is contrary to the group's long-term best interests.
