MARCH 31, 1948
Al Gore is born in Washington, D.C., and the fight is on.

SEPT. 3, 1964
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Wilderness Act, which protects certain land from development.

SEPT. 15, 1968
Experts from various countries meet for the first time at the U.N. Biosphere Conference in Paris, where they discuss environmental issues such as pollution and natural resource loss.

APRIL 22, 1970
The first Earth Day takes place.

OCT. 17, 1973
The “oil crisis” begins as a result of the Arab nations of OPEC declaring they would no longer ship oil to countries (the United States included) that supported Israel in its battle with Syria in Egypt. Oil prices skyrocket, and the crisis lasts for another five months before the embargo is lifted.

JANUARY 1974
Two chemists reveal findings that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) destroy ozone molecules and are a threat to the Earth's protective ozone layer.

DEC. 2, 1980
Congress passes the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which designates more than 100 million acres of parks, wilderness areas and wildlife refuges.

1983
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences report that the build-up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere will likely lead to global warming.

MARCH 24, 1989
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurs in Alaska. It is considered one of the more severe man-made environmental disasters of all time, spilling nearly 11 million gallons of oil into the sea and covering about 11,000 square miles.

MAY 9, 1992
The Convention on Climate Change sets carbon dioxide reduction goals for a select group of nations. However, due to an overall lack of support, the end result falls well shy of expectations.

1995
Hundreds of climate scientists assembled by the United Nations conclude that “the balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate.”

1998
The ozone hole over Antarctica reaches 25 million square kilometers.

JAN. 16, 2001
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change cites “new and stronger evidence that most of the observed warming of the last 50 years is attributable to human activities.”

MARCH 13, 2001
President George W. Bush declares that the United States will not sign off on the Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, saying the aim to reduce U.S. emissions by 33 percent is unrealistic and could damage the economy.

2001
The Toyota Prius, a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle, is released worldwide. It is now regarded as the most fuel-efficient car sold in the United States.

JAN. 29, 2002
Germany announces that it plans to meet 25 percent of its electricity needs with wind power by 2025.

SEPT. 2, 2003
Scientists say that Earth's northern hemisphere has been hotter since 1980 than at any period during the past 2,000 years.

FEB. 16, 2005
The Kyoto Protocol, which spurred most countries to pledge a reduction of emission gasses that increase global warming, comes into effect.

MAY 24, 2006
“An Inconvenient Truth,” a documentary starring former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, debuts in New York and Los Angeles. The doc, which later won a pair of Academy Awards, featured Gore spelling out the details of our impending climate crisis and ways to reverse that trend.

JULY 7, 2007
Live Earth, a series of concerts across the globe dedicated to climate change awareness, takes place. The worldwide festival, which featured renowned acts like Madonna, Kanye West and Beastie Boys, received a staggering 15 million online video streams, though television ratings were far less stellar. The festival also was criticized for leaving a large carbon footprint due to all the artists flying across the globe to play Live Earth.

Sources: ecotopia.org; wilderness.org; worldwatch.org; cnn.com

Clint Hale | 210SA contributor