Growth of the U.S. Environmental Movement

Transcription

1 Environmental Movement

2 The Industrial Revolution American Urbanization Key changes across the American countryside ( ) caused concerns by many Outdoorsmen and Progressives

3 Conservationists Take Action Teddy Roosevelt John Muir Organizations like the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society promoted conservationism

4 President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Newlands Reclamation Act into law in 1902 It promoted federal construction of dams to irrigate farm lands It placed over 230 million acres of under federal protection for conservation Roosevelt also established the U.S. Forest Service in 1905 and appointed Gifford Pinchot as its first Chief

5 The President signed the Antiquities Act in 1906, giving him the executive power to Protect & Preserve any Public Lands in the U.S. Crater Lake, OR (1902) Mesa Verde, CO (1906) Devil s Tower, WY (1906) Yosemite, CA (1906) Grand Canyon, AZ (1908)

6 The results of the Newlands Reclamation Act and the Antiquities Act were indispensable to the nations future

7 Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933 It Employed over two million men They planted over three billion trees 198 CCC Camps existed in 94 National Parks & Monuments They established another 711 State Parks and Preserves

8 Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933 It Employed over 28 Thousand It Produced Hydro-Electric & Nuclear Power Preserved and Protected over 485,420 acres of National Forests, Parks, and Wildlife Refuges in six states

9 1935: The Wilderness Society was formed by a group of famous ecologists to inspire Americans to care for and protect the last remaining wilderness in America : The National Wildlife Federation was formed to restore, protect, and conserve vanishing & endangered American wildlife across the United States In 1938 FDR proclaimed the first Wildlife Restoration Week in the US

10 In 1944, the U.S. Forest Service started their Smokey the Bear Campaign to raise awareness of and prevent Forest Fires The Agricultural Act of 1956 established the Soil Bank program to protect high risk farm lands from erosion In 1985 it became the Conservation Reserve Program

11 : The U.S. Military and American Farmers began using a chemical known as DDT to eradicate insects carrying infectious diseases

12 1966: American biologist Rachel Carson published her book Silent Spring Exposing the impact of DDT on endangered species like the Bald Eagle What does it say about a nation when its national bird is endangered? 1800: Approximately 50 thousand Bald Eagle pairs existed in the U.S. By 1960: There were only about 450 pairs existing

13 Before 1955: Private research was conducted on increasing CO2 Levels due to fossil fuels 1955: Congress passed the 1 st Air Pollution Control Act It was an act to provide aid, research, and technical assistance to study the effects of air pollution But it failed to provide codes to regulate increases in CO2

14 Smog in Los Angeles

15 Smog in New York City

16 Smog in Atlanta

17 : The Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio was considered one of the most polluted rivers in the U.S & 1969: Toxic waste dumped into the river sparked two major fires Times Magazine reported that the river oozes rather than flows and a person does not drown but decays Spurring a rise in activism

18 A Grassroots Movement is Born : American concerns about the environment grow Lumber Companies destroying forests Smog smothering the nations cities Garbage and sewage polluting waterways Pesticides killing endangered species 1970: Americans held their first Earth Day Celebration to bring attention to their endangered environment

19 A Grassroots Movement is Born A Spontaneous Grassroots Movement grew out of the natural desire to protect the environment its natural resources Among the organizations involved were: Sierra Club (1892)Environmental protection Audubon Society (1905) Nature Conservation Wilderness Society (1935) Land Preservation Greenpeace (1972)Protection of Biodiversity

20 Environmental Legislation under Nixon 1970: National Environmental Policy Act Set/Enforced Pollution Standards Promoted Research/Anti-Pollution 1970: Clean Air Act Established/Enforced Emission Stds 1972 Clean Water Act Restricting and Monitoring the discharge of pollutants 1973: Endangered Species Act Growth of the U.S. Established measures for saving endangered species

21 The Grassroots Movement Grows U.S. Membership in Thousands Sierra Club (1892) National Audubon Society (1905) National Parks Conservation Assoc (1919) Izaak Walton League (1922) Wilderness Society (1935) National Wildlife Federation (1936) Defenders of Wildlife (1947) The Nature Conservancy (1951) World Wildlife Federation in US (1961) n.a. n.a ,200 1,200 Environmental Defense Fund (1967) Friends of the Earth (US) (1969) Natural Resources Defense Council (1970) Greenpeace USA (1972) n.a. n.a. 2,

22 The Grassroots Movement Grows Toxic and Radioactive Concerns : Developers built a Residential area over a known toxic dump site in New York 1976: Two reporters tested water pumps finding toxic chemicals : 56% of all children born in the Love Canal area had major birth defects 1978: President Carter declared a National Heath Emergency and New York State relocated 200+ families

23 The Grassroots Movement Grows Toxic and Radioactive Concerns : 600 remaining families were eventually moved out of the area 1980: Company responsible for dumping the toxic waste was sued and forced to pay $20 million and clean up the site

24 The Grassroots Movement Grows 1979: Nuclear Reactor at Three Mile Island located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania overheated Low levels of radiation escaped Nearby Residents were evacuated Reactor was eventually shut down Incident caused a rise in American concerns over Nuclear Power resulting in 60 Power Plant closings

25 The Grassroots Movement Grows Increasing Concerns over Oil Disasters 1989: Exxon-Valdez oil tanker ran aground on a reef in Puget Sound 10.9 million gallons of oil spilled into the Puget Sound Requiring the largest cleanup effort up till that time

26 The Grassroots Movement Grows Rank Date Cause Source Location Spill Volume an estimated drilling rig Deepwater Gulf of Mexico, 50 miles off the 1. April 20, 2010 explosion 200,000 gallons a Horizon coast of Louisiana day 2. March 24, 1989 reef collision tanker Exxon Valdez Prince William Sound, Alaska 10+ million gallons 3. Dec. 15, 1976 ran aground tanker Argo Merchant Nantucket Island 7.7 million gallons 4. Aug. Sept Top 10 Oil Spills within U.S. Coastal Waters Hurricane Katrina various sources New Orleans, La. 7 million gallons 5. June 8, 1990 explosion tanker Mega Borg 60 miles off Galveston, Texas 5.1 million gallons 6. Nov. 28, 2000 ran aground tanker Westchester Port Sulphur, La. 567,000 gallons 7. Jan. 23, 2010 collision tanker Eagle Otome Port Arthur, Texas 462,000 gallons 8. July 25, 2008 collision unnamed barge New Orleans, La. 419,000 gallons 9. Dec. 7, 2004 ran aground M/V Selendang Ayu Aleutian Islands, Alaska 337,000 gallons 10. Aug. 10, 1993 collision barge Bouchard B155 Tampa Bay, Fla. 336,000 gallons