1973 in the environment

This is a list of notable events relating to the environment in 1973. They relate to environmental law, conservation, environmentalism and environmental issues.

Events

• E. F. Schumacher publishes Small Is Beautiful.
• Jacques Cousteau founds the Cousteau Society.
• A number of protected areas were established in 1973, including the Essex Region of Western Ontario, Canada.

March

• World Conservation Union (IUCN) meeting drafts the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which starts being signed on 3 March 1973.

Summer

• Several thousand pounds of polybrominated biphenyls were accidentally mixed with livestock feed that was distributed to farms in Michigan, because the plant also produced a feed precursor ingredient, magnesium oxide, which was sold to the feed manufacturer. Adverse reproductive-system effects continued 40 years later to be found in the grandchildren of those who consumed tainted farm products.

August

• The snail darter controversy delayed the construction of the Tellico Dam on the Little Tennessee River in the United States when the snail darter fish was discovered in the river.
• An earthquake of 7.1 magnitude strikes Veracruz, Mexico on August 28, causing extensive damage to buildings and the environment, killing at least 600 people.

November

• The International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears was signed in Oslo, Norway.

December

• The Endangered Species Act was signed into law in the United States by President Richard Nixon. This mandated the first Habitat Conservation Plans.

See also

• Human impact on the environment
• List of environmental issues
• List of years in the environment

References