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The building of transcontinental railroads
The building of the railroads caused many issues. The land was covered in tracks on which large, coal-burning trains drove. The pollution caused by the railroads was extensive due to the use of the new form of transportation -
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World War 1
Chemical weapons used in WW1 caused unknown numbers of soil erosion, deforestation, and water contamination in areas were caused by chemical warfare -
National Coast Anti Pollution League
NCAPL is formed by officials who where concerned about oil and seage pollution detracting from tourism.
The issue of water pollution is confronted and actions are made to clean the water and prevent future pollution. -
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World War 2
World War II saw a big increase in industrial production and global transportation to meet the needs of the fighting armies, and this would have increased atmospheric pollution detrimental to the environment. The fighting itself, and the destruction of towns and cities also caused pollution harmful to the environment. -
Clean Air Act
This act aimed to reduce the amount of smog, smoke, and air pollution in general caused by the smoke-belching coal-burning facilities and transportations. Due to the cramped cities filled with large power plants and transportation such as cars and trains, the air was very dirty and unhealthy to breathe. -
Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act
This act set vehicle exhaust emission standards. These included 72% reduction for hydrocarbons, 56% reduction for carbon monoxide, and 100% reduction for crankcase hydrocarbons. This reduced acid rain, created better air quality, and strove to slow down the decomposition of the ozone layer. -
Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966
This was the start of endangered species laws and provided some support and safety for endangered animals. This inclued the prohibition of killing these animals within the national wildlife refuge system and allowed for people to aqcuire habitats for them. Protecting these animals was not required, but only suggested. This included only vertebrates like the bison, which previously roamed the great plains but were killed off due to the building of the transcontinental railroad in the late 1800s. -
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
This faced the problems of the increasing amount of wastes being dumped in America. It strove to protect human health and the environment from the harmful wastes such as chemicals. It also conserved energy and natural resources and ensured that wastes were taken care of in a way that preserved the health of the environment. -
UN World Charter for Nature
UN World Charter for Nature passes by a vote of 111 in favor to 1 against (United States). The Charter respects nature, refuses to comrpomise genetic variability, conserves all areas of the planet, and calls for optimum sustainable productivity in ecosystems affected by humanity's actions. -
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is formed between the US and the USSR. This treaty stops above-ground tests of nuclear weapons, recognizing the harm these weapons are causing to the environment, even when they are tested.
