Editing Environmental science (section)

==== 20th century ====

In the 1900s, the discipline of environmental science as it is known today began to take shape. The century is marked by significant research, literature, and international cooperation in the field.

In the early 20th century, criticism from dissenters downplayed the effects of [[Climate change|global warming]].<ref name=":2" /> At this time, few researchers were studying the dangers of [[fossil fuels]]. After a 1.3 degrees Celsius temperature anomaly was found in the Atlantic Ocean in the 1940s, however, scientists renewed their studies of gaseous heat trapping from the greenhouse effect (although only [[Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere|carbon dioxide]] and water vapor were known to be greenhouse gases then).<ref name=":2" /> Nuclear development following the Second World War allowed environmental scientists to intensively study the effects of carbon and make advancements in the field.<ref name=":2" /> Further knowledge from archaeological evidence brought to light the changes in climate over time, particularly [[Ice core|ice core sampling]].<ref name=":2" />

Environmental science was brought to the forefront of society in 1962 when [[Rachel Carson]] published an influential piece of environmental literature, ''[[Silent Spring]]''.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Milestones in EPA and Environmental History |url=https://www.epa.gov/history/milestones-epa-and-environmental-history |access-date=October 2, 2022 |website=United States Environmental Protection Agency|date=20 May 2020 }}</ref> Carson's writing led the American public to pursue environmental safeguards, such as bans on harmful chemicals like the [[insecticide]] [[DDT]].<ref name=":3" /> Another important work, ''[[Tragedy of the commons|The Tragedy of the Commons]]'', was published by [[Garrett Hardin]] in 1968 in response to accelerating natural degradation.<ref name=":1" /> In 1969, environmental science once again became a household term after two striking disasters: Ohio's [[Cuyahoga River]] caught fire due to the amount of [[pollution]] in its waters and a [[1969 Santa Barbara oil spill|Santa Barbara oil spill]] endangered thousands of marine animals, both receiving prolific media coverage.<ref name=":3" /> Consequently, the United States passed an abundance of legislation, including the [[Clean Water Act]] and the [[Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement]].<ref name=":3" /> The following year, in 1970, the first ever [[Earth Day]] was celebrated worldwide and the United States [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) was formed, legitimizing the study of environmental science in government policy.<ref name=":3" /> In the next two years, the [[United Nations]] created the [[United Nations Environment Programme]] (UNEP) in Stockholm, Sweden to address global [[environmental degradation]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Karr |first=Katherine |date=January 2022 |title=Celebrating 50 years of the IES: A brief history of environmental science |url=https://www.the-ies.org/analysis/celebrating-50-years-ies-brief |access-date=October 2, 2022 |website=The Institution of Environmental Sciences}}</ref>

Much of the interest in environmental science throughout the 1970s and the 1980s was characterized by major disasters and social movements. In 1978, hundreds of people were relocated from [[Love Canal Disaster|Love Canal]], New York after [[carcinogenic pollutant]]s were found to be buried underground near residential areas.<ref name=":3" /> The next year, in 1979, the nuclear power plant on [[Three Mile Island accident|Three Mile Island]] in Pennsylvania suffered a meltdown and raised concerns about the dangers of [[radioactive waste]] and the safety of nuclear energy.<ref name=":3" /> In response to landfills and toxic waste often disposed of near their homes, the official [[Environmental justice|Environmental Justice Movement]] was started by a Black community in North Carolina in 1982.<ref name=":3" /> Two years later, the toxic [[methyl isocyanate]] gas was released to the public from a power plant disaster in [[Bhopal disaster|Bhopal]], India, harming hundreds of thousands of people living near the disaster site, the effects of which are still felt today.<ref name=":3" /> In a groundbreaking discovery in 1985, a British team of researchers studying Antarctica found evidence of a [[Ozone depletion|hole in the ozone layer]], inspiring global agreements banning the use of [[chlorofluorocarbon]]s (CFCs), which were previously used in nearly all aerosols and refrigerants.<ref name=":2" /> Notably, in 1986, the meltdown at the [[Chernobyl disaster|Chernobyl]] nuclear power plant in Ukraine released radioactive waste to the public, leading to international studies on the ramifications of environmental disasters.<ref name=":3" /> Over the next couple of years, the [[Brundtland Commission]] (previously known as the World Commission on Environment and Development) published a report titled ''[[Our Common Future]]'' and the [[Montreal Protocol]] formed the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change|International Panel on Climate Change]] (IPCC) as international communication focused on finding solutions for climate change and degradation.<ref name=":4" /> In the late 1980s, the [[Exxon Valdez oil spill|Exxon Valdez]] company was fined for spilling large quantities of [[crude oil]] off the coast of Alaska and the resulting cleanup, involving the work of environmental scientists.<ref name=":3" /> After hundreds of oil wells were burned in combat in 1991, warfare between Iraq and Kuwait polluted the surrounding atmosphere just below the air quality threshold {{-r|environmental scientist}}s believed was life-threatening.<ref name=":3" />