Activity 4.1 – US Environmental History and Major Regulations
Historical Summary:
Chapter 2 of the text, “Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation,” (Theis & Tomkin, 2018.) discusses different events that led to the progression of environmental conservation history, along with how various different factors increased awareness of the importance of sustainability when it comes to environmental conservation.
Chapter 2.2 discusses the beginning of the American conservation movement and the different groups that began the conversation about sustainability. At first, there was very little concern about the state of environmental conservation when America was beginning to be populated by colonists who immigrated to North America. Most individuals did not find it possible to deplete any natural resources or drive species of animals to extinction at this time due to the fact that individuals who depleted the resources of a certain area could simply move somewhere else. However, the perception of environmental conservation began to shift in the mid-19th century when the population began to rapidly increase. Multiple different groups of individuals that viewed the change of the environment in different ways began to be formed, including those with concerns focusing on topics such as resource efficiency and understanding the environment better in order to be able to sustain a growing population.
Chapter 2.3 explained the origins and development of environmental risk management and how it would eventually impact policy creation. The progression of understanding of the environment allowed environmental risk management to be considered further. As air quality began to become a major concern for certain people due to the air being so contaminated, it sometimes caused severe side effects or even death. Individuals slowly began to focus more on environmental issues as time passed, allowing more groups to form and address specific issues that were prevalent. Some individuals voiced concerns about the effects of the environment from the threats that industrialization and increasing populations of individuals brought. For example, the overall knowledge of pollution was becoming more common, and the number of individuals concerned about potentially hazardous chemicals in the air that were being used frequently were starting to grow. As a result, environmental policy and law have changed to focus more directly on assessing and managing risks related to environmental issues and concerns.
Chapter 2.4 addresses the topics of sustainability and public policy, while Chapter 2.5 discusses public health and sustainability in modern times. When it comes to supporting ecology, there are some problems and boundaries to what the government can do. The chapter addresses factors like how changes can only be made when many different societal factors shift their focus onto environmental sustainability such as politics. It is often challenging to balance environmental and economic goals. Since environmental problems are often complicated, it can be hard for the government to make certain changes to policies about the environment and sustainability without causing conflicts with other focuses. The section also talks about how the concepts of public health and sustainability are connected. It discusses that environmental sustainability focuses on being able to sustain the resources that keep people healthy, alongside still preserving the natural resources and environment of the earth. In current times, there is discussion about how events such as climate change have the opportunity to impact the health of humans, and how working to minimize the effects to the environment can also have potential benefit for the health of individuals.
Timeline
This timeline displays major federal environmental laws and policy changes that were made.
(Theis & Tomkin, 2018.) (Russel & Fairfax, 2014.)
References
Russell, E., & Fairfax, S. K. (2014). Guide to U.S. Environmental Policy. CQ Press.
Theis, T., & Tomkin, J. (Eds). (2018). Sustainability: A comprehensive foundation. OpenStax CNX. THEISandTOMKIN_Sustainability-a-Comprehensive-Foundation-45.1.pdf
Free online timeline maker. (2023, April 15). Free Online Timeline Maker. https://time.graphics/
Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970 to ensure the safety of employees. The legislation’s main goal was to ensure employers provide employees with a work environment free from hazards including exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress and unsanitary conditions. They exercised this act throughout many states and foreign nations. When the industry of factories and civilization just started to arise business where oblivious and careless to the workers conditions. The vast number of people looking for work, and the need for cheap labor, led to poor pay, hazardous factory conditions and an increase in child labor. The hours were long and conditions dangerous, with many losing their lives at work. This is how the employee acts began leading us to the OSHA. Which was rightfully necessary to the working man. Since then, they continue to add to the OSHA when they see revision is necessary in the workplace. They recently in 2009 placed more regulations to ensure workers do not endure harassment or violence in the workplace. Employees now can freely reject any task that puts them in imminent danger or harmful situations. Employers are obligated to fairly pay their employees. A worker can work overtime only after giving his consent and in such cases, he will be liable to get wages from the employer at twice the rate of his normal wages. Woman were prohibited from working overnight but now with our consent we can work over night scheduling with certain precautions. These are just a few of many revisions made in the OSHA.
ReplyDeleteRecources- https://lumierelp.com/articles/the-occupational-safety-health-and-working-conditions-code-2020/