history of the environmental movement

  • Human population- 1 billion

  • Human population- 2 billion

  • Dust bowl

    The Dust Bowl occurred in the American Great Plains and Southern states between 1930-1940, were a series of dust storms caused by erosion to the soil. The storms were catastrophic events, which destroyed the ecology of the Great Plains and Southern states.
  • Minamata disaster

    Chisso Corporation produced chemicals that had mercury in them, dumping mercury contaminated waste into Minamata Bay. The residents of Minamata bay realized that that dumping mercury into the bay was what was killing the residents
  • Human population- 3 billion

  • Rachel Carson's Silent Spring published

    Rachel Carson was pioneer in the marine biology field who wrote a book about the environmental impact of pesticides, like DDT. She raised awareness by shining light on the pollution of DDT and how it could be lethal to future generations or plants, animals, and humans.
  • Endangered Species Act

    The ESA is a program to help the conservation of threatened and endangered plants and animals. Helped stop and protect the poaching of endangered animals.
  • Stockholm Conference

    The first world conference to make the environment a major issue. Participants adopted multiple principles for sound management of the environment as well as the Stockholm declaration and action plan for the human environment. It helped people realize that the environment was a serious issue
  • Human population- 4 billion

  • Love Canal

    Hooker Electrochemical Corporation buried toxic chemical waste, causing the neighborhood to become contaminated. It was originally used for a power canal. The disaster caused environmental and health concerns. The love canal shows how informed people can influence policy makers.
  • Bhopal disaster

    40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant, UCC, killing at least 3,800 people causing morbidity and premature death. The disaster has revealed the health effects of exposure to the disaster.
  • Chernobyl meltdown

    One of the reactors at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl lost control during a test, causing an explosion. Safety concerns were ignored, the uranium fuel in the reactor overheated and melted through the barriers. Consequently, radioactive elements like plutonium, iodine, and strontium were all over the area. Many health concerns have been caused due to the incident.
  • Human population- 5 billion

  • Montreal protocol

    The US signed the Montreal protocol, which is slowly eliminating the production and consumption of the ozone depleting substances and has been successful.
  • Exxon Valdez oil

    The oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, which spelt 11 million gallons of oil. Due to the location, time of year, and the spill resulted in one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S history. The spill affected more than 1,300 miles of shoreline, which would impact fish and any wildlife including their habitats. Plus, local industries and communities.
  • Kyoto protocol

    The Kyoto protocol operationalizes the UNFCCC by committing industrialized countries and economies in transition to limit greenhouse gases. Overall, it added up to an average 5% emission reduction compared to 1990s levels over the five year period 2008-2012.
  • Human population- 6 billion

  • Jilin chemical plant explosion

    An explosion occurred at a petrochemical plant in China which resulted in a release of 100 tons of toxins into the Songhua River, the government had to go public with the incident to its citizens, due to no longer being able to keep the information from them.
  • Documentary film And Inconvenient Truth released

    A film by Al gore is made, talking about how global warming effects his own personal life, talks about the greenhouse effect and carbon dioxide concentration and how all of these contribute to global warming. His lecture helped tell people how they can fight against global warming.
  • Deepwater Horizon

    There was an oil drilling rig Deepwater horizon, operating in Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of America. It exploded and sank which caused 11 deaths of workers. It’s the largest spill of oil in the history of marine oil drilling operation.
  • Human population- 7 billion

  • Fukushima Nuclear

    One of the second worst nuclear accidents. Following a major earthquake, a 15-metre tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors, which caused a nuclear accident on March 11 in 2011. It caused all three cores largely melted in the first three days.
  • Human population- 8 billion