This is a list of notable events relating to the

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

in 1978. They relate to

environmental law Environmental law is a collective term encompassing aspects of the law that provide protection to the environment. A related but distinct set of regulatory regimes, now strongly influenced by environmental legal principles, focus on the manage ...

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...

and

environmental issue Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on th ...

Events

*The

Kessler syndrome The Kessler syndrome (also called the Kessler effect, collisional cascading, or ablation cascade), proposed by NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler in 1978, is a scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) due to space pollut ...

is proposed. It is a scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade – each collision generating debris which increases the likelihood of further collisions. It would render space exploration unfeasible for a period of time. *The Australian state of Victoria passes the

Environment Effects Act 1978 The ''Environment Effects Act 1978'' is current legislation that was passed in the Australian state of Victoria. It requires certain public works to have an environmental impact assessment carried out before proceeding. It was amended by the Envi ...

. *The environmental issues surrounding the notorious

Love Canal Love Canal is a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, United States, infamous as the location of a landfill that became the site of an enormous environmental disaster in the 1970s. Decades of dumping toxic chemicals harmed the health of hund ...

, a former dump site in the neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, in the United States, is highlighted in the media. *The

Royal Commission on Nuclear Power Generation in New Zealand The Royal Commission on Nuclear Power Generation in New Zealand was set up in 1976 and reported back to the Government in 1978. The report concluded that there was no immediate need to generate electric power by nuclear means but it may be economica ...

reported back to the Government. The report concluded that there was no immediate need but it may be economically possible in the 21st century. *The

Green Wall of China The Great Green Wall, officially known as the Three-North Shelter Forest Program (), also known as the Three-North Shelterbelt Program, is a series of human-planted windbreaking forest strips (shelterbelts) in China, designed to hold back the des ...

, a major series of tree planting designed to hold back the expansion of the Gobi Desert, was started. There has been some debate about the effectiveness of the project.

January

*Manufacturing of

PCBs Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979 and internationally by t ...

was prohibited in the US, pursuant to the

Toxic Substances Control Act The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is a United States law, passed by the 94th United States Congress in 1976 and administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that regulates chemicals not regulated by other U.S. ...

.United States. Toxic Substances Control Act. "Prioritization, risk evaluation, and regulation of chemical substances and mixtures; Polychlorinated biphenyls."

February

*The 1976 Barcelona Convention for Protection against Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea (Barcelona Convention), a regional convention to prevent and abate pollution from ships, aircraft and land based sources in the Mediterranean Sea, comes into force.

March

*The ''Amoco Cadiz'' oil spill occurred on the coast of Brittany, France resulting in the largest oil spill of its kind in history to that date. *The

Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (CCAS) is part of the Antarctic Treaty System. It was signed at the conclusion of a multilateral conference in London on February 11, 1972. Contents CCAS had the objective "to promote and ac ...

enters into force.

October

*The

Environmental Modification Convention The Environmental Modification Convention (ENMOD), formally the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques is an international treaty prohibiting the military or other hostile use ...

, formally the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques is an international treaty prohibiting the military or other hostile use of environmental modification techniques, entered into force. *The Marine Mammals Protection Act is passed in New Zealand. *US President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

signed the

Antarctic Conservation Act The Antarctic Conservation Act, enacted in 1978 by the 95th United States Congress (), and amended by , is a United States federal law that addresses the issue of Environmental Conservation, environmental conservation on the continent of Antarctica ...

November

*US President Jimmy Carter signed the

Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1978 The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was first passed in 1973 and forms the basis of biodiversity and endangered species protection in the United States. The original purpose of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was to prevent species endangerment ...

References

{{Reflist