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The Industrial Revolution began in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Great Britain. By the end of the 20th century, the world began to completely rely on fossil fuels. Scientists believed that the constant and rapid burning of fossil resources could possibly be overheating the planet. In 1750 there was 280 ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That number has risen to 380 ppm by 2005, an increase of over 1/3rd.
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As the Industrial Revolution continued on improving in 1870, the population continued to grow faster and faster. This increased living standards for many people which lead to the lack of natural resources. While this was going on, many chemicals and fuel that was being used in factories was harming the environment. As a result, water and air pollution greatly increased.
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The Big Blowup was a total of 1,736 fires that burned 3 million acres of land as well as 7.5 billion feet of timber. Towns were destroyed in this fire, people were killed mainly around the areas of Idaho, Montana, and Washington. These fires gained public attention leading to awareness around fire prevention and enforced policies that continue to impact fire management around the world today.
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The IUCN was the first established union of global environment in which they focused on examining the impact of human activities on nature. The organization recognized the effects of harmful pesticides and promoted the protection of species and their ecosystems.
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This is a poisoning disease affecting those who consume fish or shellfish containing MeHg also known as Methylmercury. Scientists suspect that a petrochemical plant was to be blamed for the disease and Chisso Corporations were dumping an excessive amount of mercury into the Minamata Bay in Japan. Chisso eventually owed 2.1 million yen to compensate for the many lives affected by the disease.
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The book Silent Spring introduced the idea of change in how societies operate and led to questioning the government’s rule over the environment. Carson specifically highlights the effects of DDT and misused chemicals on the environment as evidence to encourage reform. She brought upon a social revolution leading to the modern environmental movement.
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California’s coast became covered in a 35-mile-long oil slick as around 3 million gallons of crude oil were dumped into the ocean in Santa Barbara. Union Oil was redeemed responsible as the spill was caused by “inadequate safety precautions.” This blowout was so endangering that it cracked the sea floor in 5 places and even continued to spill 1,000 gallons an hour for a month afterward. This encouraged awareness and groups to stand up and advocate for new laws and regulations.
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Earth Day started on April 22nd, 1970. Before Earth Day, people were not concerned with the harmful effects of leaded gases and smoke. The goal was to bring consciousness to air and water pollutants. This idea became popular and an annual holiday leading to a more educated society on the problems the Earth is facing and has shown to have positive health impacts.
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This hypothesis was proposed by James Lovelock in 1972. The word “Gaia” is the Greek Goddess that personifies Earth. This can also be referred to as “Mother Nature”. The hypothesis states that living organisms interact with surroundings that are inorganic on Earth. This forms a synergistic, self-regulating system that can help sustain the conditions that are needed for life to prosper on Earth.
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In 1975 an anti-whaling campaign took place in Vancouver in hope of saving the whales eventually leading to an international ban on commercial whaling. This movement also concerns the conservation of other marine life and protecting them.
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On December 11, 1997 the Kyoto Protocol system was adopted in the United States for the US Framework Convention on Climate Change. The protocol helps transition industrialized countries and economies to reduce greenhouse gases. The developed countries have a heavier burden on them because the protocol holds them to the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities.” It recognizes they are very responsible for a large portion of greenhouse gas emissions.
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A pesticide plant in Bhopal India released extreme amounts of toxic gases including methyl isocyanate causing many people to be exposed to this dangerous substance. People experienced nausea and burning in the throat and eyes and symptoms even led to death. Even 30 years after the disaster toxic materials continued to exist as many people fought for change; the government pronounced the area as contaminated.
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The Chernobyl accident happened in 1986 as a result of a reactor design which was flawed and operated poorly. About 5 percent of the radioactive reactor core was released into the environment because of the steam explosion and fires. There was a downfall of radioactive materials in many parts of Europe because of this. A total of 30 people died from this event along with 5000 thyroid cancer diagnoses.
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The Montreal Protocol limits the consumption and production of the different ozone depleting substances that can harm our atmosphere. Every party will have responsibilities related to the phase out of different groups as well as the control of trade, annual reporting of data, and national licensing systems to control this problem. Developing and developed countries will have equal and differentiated responsibilities to contribute.
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The invention of the Toyota Prius has had a tremendous impact on the environment. This model as well as the Coaster Hybrid EV were the first hybrid vehicles that became massively produced. The amount of gas saved from these cars is equal to 1.5 million roundtrips around the earth and moon. The cars have also saved 77 million tons of CO2.
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El Nino is a weather occurrence that takes place irregularly in the eastern tropical Pacific about every 2 to 7 years. Temperatures begin rising when winds weaken that blow from the east to the west. These El Ninos can be either strong or weak. When these events are strong, weather patterns will be interrupted for a short time. Sometimes a country can suffer major damage from these events.
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On the Antarctic Peninsula, the Larsen B ice shelf near Argentina and Chile completely disintegrated into the ocean in 2002. Ever since the 1950s, the Antarctic Peninsula has been warming rapidly at rates that are several times the normal global average. In the last 50 years, temperatures on this peninsula have risen 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit each decade. As this goes on, the ice shelf continues to become more and more unstable.
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This documentary was released in 2006 and is 58 minutes long. It focuses on former U.S. Vice President Al Gore who formed the basis for his traveling lecture. It focuses on the emerging challenge of global warming and climate change. Al Gore focuses on the greenhouse effect, carbon dioxide atmospheric changes and the growth in Earth’s population. He also discusses the changing conditions in the Antarctic and Arctic.
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After a decline in bald eagles from a pesticide in fish that were included in an eagle’s diet and poisoning females’ eggs. As well as harmful human activities such as hunting contributed to this problem eventually leading to them being endangered in 1967. They then gained legal protection from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency causing their habitats to be conserved. Over the years this caused the population to grow in the mid 1900s to eventually being delisted in 2007.
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