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| Science & Society |
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| Kellar & Goldstein |
1961 -1974 |
Thirty Years for the Earth
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S ome river! Chocolate-brown, oily, bubbling with subsurface gases, it oozes rather than flows. 'Anyone who falls into the Cuyahoga does not drown,' Cleveland's citizens joke grimily. 'He decays.' The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration dryly notes: 'The lower Cuyahoga has no visible life, not even low forms such as leeches and sludge worms that usually thrive on wastes.' It is also--literally--a fire hazard. A few weeks ago, the oil-slicked river burst into flames and burned with such intensity that two railroad bridges spanning it were nearly destroyed.
-Time Magazine, August 1, 1969
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Directions :
After reading the
CNN
article, "Planet greener, still troubled on 30th Earth Day
anniversary," and the quote about the Cuyahoga River from Time
magazine, above, answer the following questions:
- Fill in the following chart with the three things that have changed for
the positive in the last 30 years with regards to the environment and three
threats that still overshadow us.
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3 Changes which are Positive for the Environment |
3 Environmental Threats That Still Overshadow Us |
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2. Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring, the fire on the Cuyahoga
River near Cleveland, and the general unconcern of U.S. leaders in the 1960’s,
led Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin to act in 1970.
- What did Sen. Nelson do?
- What was the reaction from the public?
- What was the reaction from President Nixon?
- What was the reaction from environmental activists?
- What was the reaction from industry? (cite 3 changes)
3. a. Explain what is meant by the article when it says "We’re hitting
the Earth twice as hard" today as in 1970.
- How much has increase has there been in the last 50 years in the following
areas?
| Wood consumption |
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| Paper Use |
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| Fish consumption |
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| Water consumption |
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| Grain Consumption |
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| Fossil Fuel burning |
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| Population growth |
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4. Explain why Earth Day does not have the impact today as it did in
1970.
5. For each of the following international environmental conferences,
describe what the outcome was:
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International Conference |
Results |
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Montreal, Canada
1987 |
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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1992 |
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Kyoto, Japan
1997 |
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6. Why did tens of thousands of environmental activists from around the
world gather in Seattle for the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in 1999
(what did they go to protest)?
7. What promises to become one of the most pressing environmental
topics of the 21st century? What is the issue?
8. The World Watch group released a report card on the
environment on Earth Day in the year 2000. Describe how the following areas in
the environment fared over the past 30 years.
| Greenhouse Effect |
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| Population |
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| Land Use |
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| Chemical Use and
their Impact |
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| Health of the Oceans |
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| Plant and Animal
Diversity |
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9. Which two technologies do we possess, but are not being used enough
to make an impact on improving the Earth’s environment? Why do you think they
are not in use very much?
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The
21st Century