1970-1990

__1970-1980 Themes:__ 1970 1972 1973 1974
 * Awareness Raised
 * Congress Acts passed
 * Nationwide celebration of Earth day on April 22
 * [|Environmental Protection Agency]- established by President Nixon
 * [|Clean air act]- regulate air emission
 * [|Clean water act]- controlling water pollution
 * [|Endangered species act]- provide conservation of threatened and endangered species
 * [|Safe drinking water act]- protecting the quality drinking water in the U.S.

__1980-1990 Themes:__ 1980 1985 1986 1987
 * Toxic Chemicals disasters, problems with technology
 * Discoveries of danger in environment
 * National Academy of Sciences calls **leaded gasoline** the greatest source of atmospheric lead pollution.
 * British scientist Joe Farman discovers ozone hole over Antarctica, confirmed by US NASA satellite monitoring.
 * April 26 **Chernobyl** **nuclear reactor explodes** in Ukraine.
 * Sept. 16 The Montreal Protocol international agreement to **phase out ozone-depleting chemicals** signed by 24 countries, including the US, Japan, Canada