Environmental Protection Timeline by Alton Matsuda https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w en-us 2024-04-11 20:32:37 UTC 2024-04-19 18:52:22 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f331.png California’s landmark climate disclosure bill jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2951613744 On October 7th 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the climate disclosure bill. This bill will require any company private or public to disclose their direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. With California having the 5th largest economy in the world, they are home to some of the biggest companies, and even if in California they made under a billion this bill will still affect them. Big name oil, gas, and finance companies like chevron, Wells Fargo, and apple will start to be required starting in 2027. For smaller companies that make over 500 million annually, they will not have to submit they’re gas emissions but will have to report their climate related risks. Although many think this new bill will be good for helping companies take responsibility, and letting the public know about different companies' green gas emissions, others do not share those same views. Some believe that this bill is unnecessary and expensive, forcing the companies to lower their emissions, and it’s expensive to get an accurate reading of how much they actually emit. California is known for setting the trend regarding environmental issues and this one is no different, with this bill in place other states are likely to follow suit.

Website : 
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/17/climate/california-climate-disclosure-law.html
]]> 2024-04-11 21:13:34 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2951613744 Is climate change making hurricanes stronger? jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2953100161 In 2020 N.Y. times published an article on research done by environmental scientists detailing whether or not global warming has increased the chance of a storm reaching a category 3 or higher.  And the data suggests yes, the odds that a storm will reach a category 3 or bigger has increased in the last 4 decades. But a problem scientists are running into is finding enough data that shows clear change, along with rise in temperatures there are numerous reasons for growth of a storm. In the past scientists were only able to track the ones in the US and there were so few and the data was so hard to get there wasn’t much proof, but with technological advancement they now use satellites with special algorithms to track and monitor the power of storms. But even with this there are so few storms that scientists are having a hard time showing clear growth that they can directly attribute to greenhouse gasses. With the lack of data, they can still show there is growth but not enough to have confidence in. Regardless, scientists agree that climate change will have a role in the strength of storms in the long run, and that is something we must be prepared for.

Website : https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/climate/climate-changes-hurricane-intensity.html?pgtype=Article&action=click&module=RelatedLinks
]]> 2024-04-12 23:45:22 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2953100161 Navy creates app to track defueling at Red Hill facility ajm26011 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2953551415 Although the Red Hill Crisis began over 2 years ago, it is still a problem today. The main issue began when a few homes in a military community noticed that their tap water seemed murky and smelled weird. It looked a lot more like oil than water and didn’t smell clean. It was then deduced that the water within the freshwater aquifer was contaminated by leaked fuel from the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility. Anyone that had their water source connected to that aquifer was unable to use the water, and had to get water from stores or donations. Over 90,000 people rely on the water from Red Hill, so this was a very big problem. The fuel facility is directly above the aquifer, which has led to leakage problems in the past. Many families had to move to hotels or relatives’ homes to live without fear of fuel poisoning. In 2022, repairs began on Red Hill. The contaminated water systems were shut down and the water inside was flushed out, in an attempt to purify it. While the fuel was successfully removed, there were still toxic chemicals remaining in the water. As of April 4, 2024, the Navy has created an app that anyone can download to track the decontamination at Red Hill. A “pending federal lawsuit with 300 plaintiffs” is currently taking place, and the decontamination task force feels as though more transparency with the current situation of Red Hill will help keep people pacified and maybe any progress made will possibly change the views of any skeptics.

Website: https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-military/2024/04/04/navy-creates-app-to-track-defueling-at-red-hill-facility/]]> 2024-04-14 01:37:18 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2953551415 In the US a third of the food grown is never eaten, and AI might be the solution jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2954825365 The United Nations environment program shows that globally in 2022 I billion metric tons of food went to waste. And 8 - 10 % of that came for food waste, totally good food is being dumped because of labels like “best by” or “sell by” that mislead many consumers. A big contributor to food waste in supermarkets, restaurants, and hotels, but AI might have just found a way to help these places cut back on their waste. A new company called winnow created a tool that looks at restaurant garbage and sees what’s being wasted, and what the people don’t eat. Similarly another company called Afresh looks at supermarket data to look for what is being wasted, food consumption trends, and mismatches for what is being sold versus what is being bought. And there are dozens of other companies that do things like this or help their big waste producers find places to send that excess food so it doesn't go to waste. And we have seen change mainly on the west coast. We have seen 8 chains that are part of the pacific coast food waste commitment protect report 26 percent decline in wasted food. Other places are doing their part by sending their excess to compost facilities instead of landfills. Researchers know that this is just a start, this needs to happen all over the nation to really make a change. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/04/climate/artificial-intelligence-food-waste.html?searchResultPosition=3 


]]> 2024-04-15 09:43:01 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2954825365 Oil and gas companies get there drilling rates uped for the first time in nearly a century jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2956517201 For the first time since 1920 the Biden administration has raised the rates fossil fuel companies pay to drill, and everyone has something to say about it. In Biden’s last term in the White House he is pushing a series of environmental regulations to help protect public lands and lower fossil fuel emissions. The ruling was set in the 2022 inflation reduction act, using the royalty fee from 12.5% to 16.67%, Congress also raised the minimum bid on an acre to be raised from 2$ to 10$. Most of this comes in response to environmental activists and watchdog groups saying that the amount of cleanup that must be done because of these drills is not covered in the bonds and the cost burden is pushed to the taxpayers. But oil and gas companies are not happy as expected, with the new bonds being used from 10,000$ to 150,000$, and drilling leases being raised 20x, they say that all these attempts to lower fossil fuel production will be in vain and all it will do is hurt the economy. Another argument the companies are using is the fact that many small towns and communities rely on these drilling companies and could just go under, also with these raise in prices smaller companies are likely to go under leaving their oil and gas wells abandoned. These abandoned wells are very dangerous and harmful to the environment because if not closed properly they leak methane. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/12/climate/biden-administration-raises-costs-to-drill-and-mine-on-public-lands.html 


]]> 2024-04-16 08:44:29 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2956517201 1681 - Pennsylvania sells its land jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960947657 The owner at the time was William penn, the land was gifted to him by King Charles to create a Quaker settlement.he started selling to being investors and settlements to Pennsylvania. Penn promised to reserve 10 acres for every 500 purchased to create a sort of green town, it would extend across the Delaware river 


]]> 2024-04-18 23:16:38 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960947657 1804 - the Louisiana purchase jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960948307 Done by president thomas Jefferson. It was a purchase from the French for 15 million dollars for around 800,000 sq. miles. This purchase ws the reason for the Lewis and Clark expedition which made way for westward expansion. ]]> 2024-04-18 23:17:30 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960948307 1825- creation of the Erie Canal jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960948559 363 mile long canal connecting upstate New York, Lake Erie, and the Hudson River. After the immediate sucssefulness of the first canal another was built becasue of the traffic in this one, the second one was 70 feet wide and 7feet deep. This port turned New York into the busiest port, a building boom happened along the banks of the river. Crucial factor in the growth of New York cities, helped more machines and goods into the Midwest. Also helped the Midwest bring its agriculture out to be shipped to foreign countries.]]> 2024-04-18 23:17:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960948559 1890 - First National park jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960949051 Wyoming being the 44th state to be inducted into the U.S was the least populated state yet was the 10th biggest. It is home to the Yellowstone national park, the first of its kind. It was created by Ulysses grant. The creation of these park led to several other parks being created like this, protected from harm of man kinds wrath.

]]> 2024-04-18 23:18:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960949051 1843 - gold is found in California’s American river jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960949233 The gold rush in California led to the surge of around 75,000 people from all over to smash into California, in that time 400 million dollar was collected from 1849 - 1855.  Many towns were created in strategic locations around the rivier. Becasue of the large amount of people that moved to California led it to become a state in 1850. ]]> 2024-04-18 23:18:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960949233 1862 - homestead act and morrill land grant college act passed jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960949658 Morrill college act passage was the start of American journey to creating eduction for all, it was responsible for dozens of new colleges

Homestead act - it encouraged families to move west for free land ]]> 2024-04-18 23:19:31 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960949658 1869 - first transcontinental railroad jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960949862 The first transcontinental railroad was created by connecting the Union Pacific railroad and the central pacific railroad, this connected the east and west coast easily for the first time. There could now be easy trade between the 2. 

]]> 2024-04-18 23:19:50 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960949862 1872 - general mining law passed jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960950048 This allowed miners to easily get purchasing rights to mining claims on federal land. This led to many companies mining without anyone oversight, destroying the earth and leaving a mess that could not be cleaned up without specialty material that could not be gotten with the low price of the land. ]]> 2024-04-18 23:20:10 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960950048 1934 - dust bowl begins jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960951959 The dust bowl was the term for the severe wind erosion that happened in the Great Plains during the 1930’s. The dust bowl happened because of severe drought, lack of conservation practices. The dust bowl affected the great plain ability to plant, it prevented the ability to plant and destroyed the ones already there. As a result of this many small schools, churches and towns were lost to the dust the pilled multiple feet high. Also farming practices began changing, they protected the land more so nothing like that would happen again. 



]]> 2024-04-18 23:23:03 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960951959 1914-1925 - “great plow up” jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960952159 leads to the dust bowlThe great plow up was when the US sank into a depression and wheat dropped pricing, farmers responded by ripping up the forelegs and tearing down crops. This would later lead to the dust bowl]]> 2024-04-18 23:23:18 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960952159 1936 - Hoover Dam is finished jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960952315 Created in the Colorado rivier, is on of the largest artificial lakes. The dam affects 6 states all using the dam for fresh water and  the electricity created by the project. The Hoover dam changed the west coast for good and bad, they made the nature work for them and becasue of that they accelerated climate change and lake mead which is the man made dam connected to it has been at its lowest ever. But after the building of it they made Arizona livable year around, Las Vegas would not be created without it, gave drinking water for much of the west coast. Hoover dam is like a parallel to the worlds health and right now it’s having a lot of problems, it’s at an all time low, if the Hoover dam were to go dry it would severely hurt the west coast as lots of them rely on.]]> 2024-04-18 23:23:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960952315 1963 - clean air act jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960953178 The 1963 Clean Air Act was a federal law that regulated air emissions in any form, it was to help protect the public from any dangerous emissions. The 1970 was only an amendment to the original clean air act but made a big impact, it created a basic structure to controlling air pollution and gave the government a real law to regulate. The law had 4 main ideas that would be very important, 1) E.P.A. was in charge of identifying pollutants, 2) states had to create plans to implement, these plans could be modified by the EPA, 3) The EPA created national standards for power plants, cars, and of pollutants, 4) was to create a national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants. This act did much good but also had loopholes that were easy to exploit and some of there objectives ended up hurting more then helping the enviorment.

]]> 2024-04-18 23:24:43 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960953178 1970 - creation on the EPA jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960953421 E.P.A. was founded to protect humans health, and the environment, they were the first federal agency to deal with environmental pollution. They advise the president on environmental policy, and lead research the environment, assecing the environment. One of there biggest duties are to cleanup toxic waste, this waste is from properties that were abandoned.]]> 2024-04-18 23:25:06 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960953421 1972 - DDT banned jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960953676 It was an insecticide with no odor, color, or taste. It was banned because of its health risks, for humans and well and animals ]]> 2024-04-18 23:25:26 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960953676 Record US renewable energy investment not enough to meet climate goals ajm26011 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960953820 In February 2024, a report was released by researchers from Princeton University, MIT, Rhodium Group, and Energy Innovation. This report compared the US’ projected goals for climate change control with the current statistics for greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy sources. The United States wanted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% before 2030, as it was stated in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. There have been many new areas that were made specifically for renewable energy plants, such as wind turbine farms or entire flats of solar panels. In 2023, the US hit a record for investments in renewable energy power plants. While the money was put to good use in making the power plants, the expansion won’t be enough to meet the climate change goals.
This is not to say that there have not been significant steps made in preventing climate change. Many houses have installed solar panels, helping lower numbers in non-renewable energy. Zero-emission vehicles(electric cars, etc.) are gaining popularity as well, and should also help to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The United States must increase their zero-emission electricity generation from 60 to 127 gigawatts in order to meet the climate change goal on the deadline, but new renewable energy power plant installations might not be enough to help meet that goal. In order to do so, the clean energy installations would need to increase in size and work faster and harder.

Website:
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/record-us-renewable-energy-investment-not-enough-meet-climate-goals-report-2024-02-21]]> 2024-04-18 23:25:39 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960953820 1978 - natural energy act passed jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960953920 This act tries to reduce the nations dependency on oil and use more renewable energy. They incourage solar energy, reducing oil imports.]]> 2024-04-18 23:25:48 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960953920 1981 - 1983 Reagan Administration attacked the EPA jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960954791 During Reagan’s presidency he actively tried to deregulate environmental policy’s. He cut funding from the EPA, took away there staffing, all to try and help the oil and gas giants easily pollute the earth without penalty.]]> 2024-04-18 23:26:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960954791 2001 - 2008 - george w. Bush administration attacked the EPA jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960954884 2024-04-18 23:26:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960954884 1999 : Vice President announced that President Clinton signed an executive order requiring careful assessment and consideration of the environmental impacts of trade agreements (Executive Order 13141). jsf2601 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960955031 2024-04-18 23:27:03 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960955031 December 10, 1997 - December 18, 1999: Julia Butterfly Hill ajm26011 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960963299 Julia Butterfly Hill spends a little over 2 years in a thousand year old redwood tree in California. This was an act of protest to stop loggings of ancient redwood groves.]]> 2024-04-18 23:38:31 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960963299 June 1948: Federal Water Pollution Control Act ajm26011 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960973937 One of the first acts directed at environmental protection, or water pollution specifically.]]> 2024-04-18 23:51:13 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960973937 July 1955: Air Pollution Control Act ajm26011 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960975601 Congress passes this act following the 20 deaths and several hundred hospitalized from sulfur dioxide smog in Pennsylvania. Legislation was loosely created and allowed states to create their own regulations for atmospheric pollution.]]> 2024-04-18 23:53:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960975601 1918: Save the Redwoods League ajm26011 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960982161 The first official non-profit organization dedicated to preventing logging and preserving redwoods]]> 2024-04-19 00:00:05 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2960982161 California’s sequoias are burning up. Will logging save them? ajm26011 https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2962230516 Deforestation, a hot topic in any environmental protection case, has been around since lumber became an industry. In the summer of 2022, multiple wildfires broke out in multiple parks in California. This includes Yosemite National Park and the Kings Canyon National Park, both homes to many giant sequoia groves in California. Within these parks are ancient clusters of these enormous trees, famous ones including the Sugarbowl and Mariposa Grove, that have been growing for a hundred, five hundred, or even a thousand years. The fires, some reaching temperatures and sizes for them to be reclassified as mega fires, took advantage of the dry conditions in the summer heat. Out of the seven largest California wildfires recorded, six had occurred within a two year period and effectively and efficiently killed up to 20% of all naturally occurring(not planted by humans) giant sequoias.
While wildfires have been known to awaken seedlings and rejuvenate plants, fire ecologists had little hope that sequoia seedlings would be able to survive after the wildfires had calmed down. People then had to decide how to protect the remaining percentage of the trees, especially considering that the parks were one of the last areas where giant sequoias existed. The Biden administration and its public land managers wanted to use controlled fires and logging to get rid of potentially dangerous fire starting trees to avoid any further fires. This, of course, caused outrage within many environmentalists, who didn’t share the belief that logging could help save the trees. Legislation proposed the Save Our Sequoias Act, which would start pushing the logging-and-fire “solutions.”

Website:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/08/16/giant-sequoias-fire-mariposa-grove/]]> 2024-04-19 17:52:02 UTC https://padlet.com/ajm26011/iry0mna7rl7i2r4w/wish/2962230516