Environmental Case Study Summaries
Event
Description
Artic National
The largest wildlife refuge in the Unites States,
Wildlife Refuge
located on the Northeastern most coast of Alaska is
(ANWR)
a center of hot debate. The essence of the conflict
lies in two facts: One, the possibility that the
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Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge contains one of
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the best remaining prospects for significant oil
discovery in the United States; the other, that the
Refuge contains some of the last true remaining
'wilderness' in the country.
Aral Sea
Once the fourth largest inland body of water in the
world, the Aral Sea has become progressively more
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saline and depleted. Its ecosystem can no longer
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support the same amount of life and biodiversity it
once could. The lakes volume has decreased by
75%, also hampering the surrounding environment.
Recent human efforts have caused fish to return
and better conditions in the Sea.
Bhopal Chemical
In 1984, the Union Carbide Chemical Co. in India
Disaster
had a methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leak at its
pesticide factory exposing over 500 thousand
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people to toxic fumes and chemicals causing as
many as 20,000 deaths.
California Water
Dry Southern California needed more water (for
Project
agriculture and consumers) so aqueducts and
canals were built and expanded to transport water
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from Northern California. However, the places this
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water comes from have been devastated from the
lack of water. Some of the sources have been
restored, others still works in progress.
Chernobyl Nuclear
In 1986, a nuclear facility in the Soviet Union
Disaster
suffered a power outage in reactor four. Attempts
to solve problem only worsened it, caused a fire
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that sent a plume of radioactive fallout into the
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atmosphere. Four thousand deaths will be
attributed to the disaster, massive evacuations too.
It remains the single worst nuclear disaster.
Environmental Significance
Event
Colrado River Basin
Description
The Colorado River flows 1400 miles from the
mountains of central Colorado to the Mexican
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border and eventually to the Gulf of California.
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During the past 50 years this once free flowing river
has been tamed by a gigantic plumbing system
consisting of 4 major dams and reservoirs,
hundreds of smaller dams, a network of aqueducts
and canals that supply water to farmers, ranchers
and cities.
Cuyahoga River
Extremely polluted Ohio river has caught fire 13
Fire
times, caused millions of dollars worth of damages.
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As a result of heavy regulations, it is now one of the
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cleanest urban rivers in the country.
DDT
A pesticide that was found to be very toxic to life,
banned in 1973. Still used in nations with high risk
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of malaria and the US may import goods from these
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countries with the DDT on them. Brought birds in
Figure 9-19
the US almost to extinction. Still persists in the US
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environment and in groundwater.
Deepwater Horizon
Gulf of Mexico oil spill that flowed for three months
Oil Spill
in 2010. Largest accidental marine oil spill ever.
Negatively affected sea life all over the area,
threatens the environment due to the toxicity of the
petroleum, depletion of dissolved oxygen, etc…
Exxon Valdez Oil
Oil tanker hit a reef, spilled hundreds of thousands
Spill
of barrels of oil. Largest US spill at the time.
Difficult area to reach and clean, thousands of
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animals dead. Response: US passed Oil Pollution Act
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in 1990 to protect against tanker spills.
Hetch Hetchy
Situated inside Yosemite National Park, the Hetch
Hetchy Valley was considered one of the most
unique and diverse ecosystems in the world. In
1913, the city of San Francisco won congressional
approval to build the O’Shaughnessy Dam which
buried this extraordinary wilderness valley under
300 feet of water. There has been a campaign over
the last couple of decades to remove the dam and
restore the valley ecosystem.
Environmental Significance
Event
Description
Keystone XL
The Keystone XL Pipeline (or Keystone Expansion) is
Pipepline
a proposed extension of the Keystone Pipeline, a
(proposed project)
system to transport tar sands oil from northeastern
Alberta, Canada to various locations in the United
States, reaching south down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Love Canal Waste
Canal dug part of way between two parts of the
Dumping
Niagara river, later used for dumping and covered.
School board ignored warning and bought land,
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building a community. Massive birth defects and
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miscarriages occurred, leading to mass evacuations.
President Carter deemed it a federal disaster area.
Three Gorges Dam
The world's largest dam, used to provide
hydroelectric power throughout China. Over a
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million people displaced from its construction as a
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result of the reservoir which stretches for 370
miles. Built in a seismically active region. Has the
ability to generate clean energy for 10% of China.
Pros and cons still debated.
Three-Mile Island
Loss of reactor coolants caused a partial core
Nuclear Disaster
meltdown in a pressurized water reactor in 1979.
Worst nuclear accident in US history, released 13
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million curies of radioactive gases, but not too
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much of the dangerous isotope. Total meltdown
was avoided and the net release of radioactive
material was concluded to be small. Public response
was massive and negative, led to lessening of
nuclear energy in the US.
Others you may need to know:
Dust Bowl of 1930’s
Easter Island: tragedy of the commons
Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant – earthquake/tsunami
Kissimmee River - dredging
Lake Erie – waste dumping
London Fog – air pollution
Minamata, Japan
Yucca Mountain – nuclear waste storage
Environmental Significance