Laws that Protect the Environment
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Danny Xu
10/15/20242 min read
Throughout the course of humans inhabiting planet Earth, there have been actions and events both natural and human-produced that have had a big negative impact on Earth's environment. Some examples include producing greenhouse gasses, pollution, habitat destruction, and natural events like storms and volcanic eruptions all have their negative toll on the environment. As humans begin to realize the downfall of the Earth's environment, many laws have been made to try and preserve our planet.
One law that was implemented to help the environment was the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Both animals and their habitats make up a huge part of the Earth's environment and that is why it is important to prevent extinction and habitat destruction. The ESA was established in the USA in 1973 and provides protection for all kinds of wildlife and habitats that may be endangered. The law allows people to petition what endangered animals require protection and implements recovery plans and makes it illegal to harm these animals. Using this law, about 99% of listed endangered species have avoided extinction.
Another law implemented to protect the environment is the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990. This act promoted attention on pollution and reducing it. With the help of the Environmental Protection Agency, they created an office to help with pollution strategies. Furthermore, the EPA is required to come up with more effective ways of collecting data on pollution and people who own industrial facilities have to file a report every year on their toxic chemical outputs.
Lastly, a important law to combat air pollution is the Clean Air Act. The CAA which was established in 1970 is a federal law placed to keep an eye on air pollution. It allows requires the EPA to create National Ambient Air Quality Standards to further regulate and protect people.
In conclusion, there are many many laws put in place throughout different countries in the world that work on preserving and improving the environment. By following these laws, Earth can be better protected from environmental dangers and future generations can also continue to live on this planet. It is important to uphold and support laws that make a positive impact on the Earth.
Sources:
US EPA,OA. 2018. “Summary of the Pollution Prevention Act | US EPA.” US EPA. August 15, 2018. https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-pollution-prevention-act.
US Legal, Inc. 2019. “Pollution Prevention Act – Environmental Law.” Uslegal.com. 2019. https://environmentallaw.uslegal.com/federal-laws/pollution-prevention-act/.
EPA. 2023. “Summary of the Clean Air Act | US EPA.” US EPA. September 6, 2023. https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-air-act.
NOAA Fisheries. 2021. “Endangered Species Act | NOAA Fisheries.” NOAA. January 11, 2021. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/endangered-species-act#:~:text=The%20Endangered%20Species%20Act%20of.
World Wildlife Fund. 2016. “The Endangered Species Act.” WWF. 2016. https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/the-us-endangered-species-act.
