S38 SUPPLEMENT 5
Republican-dominated Congress during his fi rst
term, compiled the worst environmental record
of any president in the history of the country
during his two terms in offi ce.
A few moderate Republican members of
Congress have urged their party to return to
its environmental roots, which were put down
during Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency, and to
shed its anti-environmental approach to legisla-
tion. Most Democrats agree and assert that the
environmental problems we face are much too
serious to be held hostage by political squab-
bling. They call for cooperation, not confronta-
tion. These Democrats and Republicans urge
elected offi cials, regardless of party, to enter into
a new pact in which the United States becomes
the world leader in making this the environ-
mental century. This would help to sustain the
country’s rich heritage of natural capital and
provide economic development, jobs, and profi ts
in rapidly growing businesses such as solar
and wind energy, energy-effi cient vehicles and
buildings, ecological restoration, and pollution
prevention.
In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), which includes morethan 2,500 of the world’s climate experts, issued
its third report on global climate change. Ac-
cording to this overwhelming consensus among
the world’s climate scientists, global warming is
occurring and it is very likely (a 90–99% prob-
ability) that human activities, led by the burning
of fossil fuels, have been the main cause of the
observed atmospheric warming during the past
50 years. By 2008, the U.S. government had
made little progress in facing up to the threat of
climate change from global warming.1990s 2000s1992 Almost 1,700 of the
world’s senior scientists
release a warning about the
seriousness of the world’s
environmental problems.
UN environmental summit
at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
International Convention
on Biological Diversity.1993 Paul Hawken publishes
The Ecology of Commerce
discussing relationships between
ecology and business.1994 UN Conference
on Population and
Development held in
Cairo, Egypt. California
Desert Protection Act
adds to the National
Park System and
wilderness system.1997 Meeting of 161
nations in Kyoto, Japan,
to negotiate a treaty to
help slow global warming.
Evaluation shows little
progress in meeting goals of
1992 Earth Summit meeting.2000 President Bill
Clinton protects large
areas in national forests
from roads and logging
and protects various
parcels of public
land as national
monuments.
International Treaty
on Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPS)
requires phaseout
of twelve harmful
chemicals.1996 Theo Coburn
publishes Our Stolen
Future warning of
dangers from hormone-
disrupting chemicals.1991 Persian Gulf War to
protect oil supplies in
Middle East. Moratorium
on mining in Antarctica
for 50 years. National
People of Color summit
to promote environ-
mental justice.2007 IPCC issues new report
concluding it is very likely
(a 90-99% probability) that
human activities, led by
emissions of carbon dioxide
from burning fossil fuels, have
been the main cause of the
observed atmospheric warming
during the past 50 years.2008 Little progress made in dealing
with major environmental problems
such as biodiversity degradation,
energy policy, and projected climate
change from global warming.1995 Paul Cruzen,
Mario Molina, and
Sherwood Rowland
win Nobel Prize
for their work on
ozone depletion by
chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs).2001 UN International
Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) cites
“new and stronger
evidence that most of
the observed warming
during the past 50 years
is attributable to human
activities.”1995–2001
Most efforts by Republican-
dominated Congress to weaken
or do away with environ-
mental laws are vetoed by
President Bill Clinton.1991–2008
Continuing efforts by anti-
environmental movement
to repeal or weaken environ-
mental laws and discredit
environmental movement.1990 Twenty-first annual Earth Day
observed by 200 million people in
141 nations. Clean Air Act amended
to increase regulation of air pollutants
such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides
and to allow trading of air pollution credits.
National Environmental Education Act
authorizes funding of environmental
education programs at elementary
and secondary school level.2001–2008
President George W. Bush, backed by a Republican-
dominated Congress between 2001 and 2006,
weakens many environmental laws, withdraws the U.S.
from participation in a global climate change treaty,
greatly increases private energy and mineral
development and timber cutting on public lands, and
weakens wilderness protection and air pollution laws
governing older coal-burning power plants.
In 2006, President Bush created the world's second
largest protected marine area.Figure 9 Some important environmental events, 1990–2008 Question: Which two of these events do you think
were the most important?