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 1997. 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 manageme ...
,
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 ...
s.
Events
*
1997 Indonesian forest fires
The 1997 group of forest fires in Indonesia that lasted well into 1998 were probably among the two or three, if not the largest, forest fires group in the last two centuries of recorded history.
In the middle of 1997 forest fires burning in Ind ...
, caused mainly by
slash-and-burn techniques adopted by farmers in Indonesia, burned for much of the year.
*
1997 Southeast Asian haze
The 1997 Southeast Asian haze was an international air pollution disaster that occurred during the second half of 1997, its after-effects causing widespread atmospheric visibility and health problems within Southeast Asia. Considered the most ...
was a large-scale air quality disaster which occurred during the second half of 1997.
*The
, a United Nations Economic Commission for Europe convention signed in Espoo, Finland, in 1991, entered into force.
*The
Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a gyre of marine litter in the central North Pacific Ocean, is discovered.
*The
1997 Guanabara Bay oil spill The 1997 Guanabara Bay oil spill was one of three major oil spills in Guanabara Bay in Brazil. It leaked from the oil refinery at Duque de Caxias (REDUC) operated by Petrobras.
Petrobras estimated that a leaking pipeline released 600,000 liters (16 ...
occurred in Brazil, one of three major oil spills in the bay.
*The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, was signed December 11, 1997.
January
* The
International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994 enters into force. It replaced the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983, and was superseded by the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 2006.
June
* A ruling was made largely in favour of McDonald's in the "
McLibel Case" in the United Kingdom. The libel case was lodged over claims made in a pamphlet by two activists about the environmental effects, amongst other issues, of McDonald's business practices.
*
Jacques Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). T ...
dies at the age of 87. As well as being the co-developer of the aqua-lung, he was a proponent of
marine conservation
Marine conservation, also known as ocean conservation, is the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas through planned management in order to prevent the over-exploitation of these marine resources. Marine conservation is in ...
especially through the use of television.
November
*The
Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes enters into force. It is an agreement to provide for the control and reduction of emissions of volatile organic compounds in order to reduce their transboundary fluxes so as to protect human health and the environment from adverse effects.
See also
{{Portal, Environment
*
Human impact on the environment
Human impact on the environment (or anthropogenic impact) refers to changes to biophysical environments and to ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources caused directly or indirectly by humans. Modifying the environment to fit the need ...
*
List of environmental issues