The word disaster brings to mind powerful events outside of human control. Although earthquakes, wildfires, and hurricanes are natural disasters, many Environmental Disasters happen because of human interventions. Pollution and oil spills are human-caused tragedies that can easily go out of control if not addressed pronto.
Environmental disasters cause loss of life and property. Such disasters can cause irreparable damage to planet Earth and living beings. So, it is in our best interest to learn from such disasters and take all steps to prevent their reoccurrence. Here are ten environmental disasters caused by human error to be watchful of in the present and near future.
- California WildfiresÂ
Global warming is an ongoing environmental blow for which humans are to blame. Deforestation, fossil fuel burning, and livestock farming have steadily increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and raised the planet’s temperature. Wildfires result from global warming.
In October 2017, California witnessed one of the most destructive wildfires in U.S. History. The fires burnt about 245,000 acres of land and cost the lives of 47 firefighters and civilians, and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. Knowing the difference between The Ozone Depletion vs. Green House Effect can make readers sound, smart and intelligent. Learn more by clicking here.
- The Great Pacific Garbage PatchÂ
Imagine failing to sail the blue ocean because it’s littered with a plastic crash. This is the sad story of the Great Pacific Ocean, with up to 51 trillion microplastic particles floating. It suffocates sea creatures large and small and enters the seafood that humans consume. Its clean-up has become a focal point for addressing the global problem of ocean plastic pollution.
- Chernobyl Power Plant ExplosionÂ
Chernobyl, Ukraine, is currently in the news on account of a devastating political war with Russia. But in April 1986, it faced the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history when one of the nuclear plant’s reactors exploded, sending massive radiation into the atmosphere, more than the fallout from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ever since, thousands of children got diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
- Bhopal Gas TragedyÂ
On December 2, 1984, humans witnessed the worst accident at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal (India). Nearly 45 tons of toxic methyl isocyanide escaped from the plant into the lungs of the Bhopal residents, killing thousands of people within hours of gas leakage. Many suffered blindness, organ failure, body malfunctions, and congenital disabilities.
- Exxon Valdez Oil SpillÂ
In 1989, an oil supertanker Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef in Alaska, rupturing 11 cargo tanks and dumping 11 million gallons of crude oil across the Alaskan shoreline. Over 250,000 sea birds, 2800 sea otters, and hundreds of other marine mammals died because of contamination. A small portion of the crude oil still lingers in patches.
- Minamata DiseaseÂ
Minamata is one of the most dangerous pollution diseases that happened in the history of Japan. The Chisso Corporation of Japan released industrial wastewater with high mercury levels into the sea around Minamata city. The toxic mercury poisoned marine life and killed thousands of residents with convulsions, loss of sight and hearing, paralysis, coma, and death. It led to the discovery of a neurological condition called Chisso-Minamata disease.
- Amazon Rainforest Deforestation    Â
South America’s Amazon rainforest cover face irreversible deforestation in 2021. As a result, it has only a third of the tropical rainforests left on Earth. Fires are a regular phenomenon in Amazon every summer. The Amazon is vital to people for food, water, medicines, wood, and climate stabilization. Despite some conservation successes, the Amazon faces more significant threats than ever before.
- Seveso Dioxin CloudÂ
The Seveso industrial disaster occurred in 1976 in a chemical manufacturing plant in Italy’s Lombardy region. It led to the highest exposure to dioxin in residential populations and the death of 3,300 animals. Over 77,000 animals were slaughtered as a pre-emptive measure to protect the food chain.
- The Bubonic PlagueÂ
The Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death, infected Europe in the 7th century, killing about 100 million individuals. The second plague affected Europe in the 14th century from Central Asia. The victims suffered from black boils, vomiting, fevers, and death. The flea-borne plague also affected cows, goats, pigs, sheep, and chickens. Graveyards filled, and corpse-bearers worked night and day.
- The Dust BowlÂ
The Dust Bowl disaster happened in the United States and Canada in the 1930s. Farming land that didn’t use crop rotation experienced severe winds, and a dust bowl befell the prairie lands. As winds picked up, vast dust clouds reached as far as New York. The thick dust stuck to people’s lungs and made it impossible to pursue farming and growing fertile crops. About 100 million acres of land in Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico were affected.
The Bottom LineÂ
Planet Earth is going through devastating ecological changes. The after-effects are disturbing the environment beyond correction. Human error and carelessness or a combination of both create a disastrous outcome.If all this makes you anxious, you should try Sunday scaries CBD to get rid of your stress.Let us learn from the calamities, and immeasurable damage caused and make small environmental protection and conservation efforts.Â