Foundation of environmental systems and societies

By Elliettt316

  • Italy’s Seveso Dioxin Cloud

    A dioxin cloud from an accident at a chemical plant near Seveso, Italy, sickens at least two thousand people

  • Industrial Revolution in Europe (text)

    Increased urbanization, resource usage and pollution

  • Once the most prolific bird, the passenger pigeon becomes extinct(text)

    Conservation movement grows. Concern for tigers, rhinoceros, etc.

  • Green Revolution - intensive technological agriculture (text)

    Resource use (especially fossil fuel use) and pollution increased. Human population rises sharply.

  • Leopold writes ‘A sand county almanac’ (text)

    Concept of ‘stewardship’ is applied to nature

  • Minamata bay disaster (text)

    Emphasizes the ability of food chains to accumulate toxins into higher tropic levels, including into humans.

  • First earth summit - UN conference on the human environment (text)

    Declaration of UN conference.
    Action plan for the human environment.
    Environment fund established.
    Formation of UN environment programme (UNEP)
    Earth summits planned at ten-year intervals

  • James lovelock publishes ‘publishes gala - a new look at life on earth’ and presents the ‘gala hypotheses’ (text)

    Systems approach to studying the environment begins. Nature seen as self regulating.

  • Green political parties form around the world

    Political pressure placed on governments

  • Nalrobi Earth summit

    Ineffective

  • Bhopal Disaster

    Worlds worst industrial disaster

  • India’s Bhopal Cyanide Gas Leak

    The leak of methyl isocyanate gas from a chemical plant operated by U.S. company Union Carbide in Bhopal, India, kills at least four thousand people