"You never hear people talk about the ozone layer anymore." Yup that's because we banded together, listened to scientists, passed regulations, and fixed it. Why does no one know this? - ThreadSky

whysharksmatter.bsky.social • 1 day ago

"You never hear people talk about the ozone layer anymore."

Yup that's because we banded together, listened to scientists, passed regulations, and fixed it.

Why does no one know this?

Reposted from David Roberts

Your regular reminder that the US air & water pollution laws passed in the 60s & 70s -- and the elaborate federal bureaucracy created to administer them -- constitute one of the most successful gov't interventions in history. WILDLY successful. The envy of the world.

Comments

sausalitocheese.bsky.social•1 day ago

Most people can't even remember that smog used to be just awful in places like Pasadena and Pittsburgh, that you could practically walk across Lake Erie, and states did little or nothing to protect the people.

artist-at-law.bsky.social•1 day ago

My dad went to Pasadena High and told me about “bad air days” when people weren’t allowed to go outside. I learned more about Vietnam from him than him than school, which never mentioned it. Recent events and movements should be taught at all levels of education.

artist-at-law.bsky.social•1 day ago

Public education ain’t that great. On that note, a bsky account said that anyone citing Montreal as an example of global cooperation is “delusional or willfully blind” bc climate change is much more complicated. While I agree it’s more complicated, why call people names for pointing out a success?

artist-at-law.bsky.social•1 day ago

Montreal wasn’t easy, there was pressure (and lies) from industry. It was the biggest global cooperation ever at the time. I don’t care for modern Env law bc it mostly responds to low hanging fruit but I’m not going to call people dumb for pointing out its success.

artist-at-law.bsky.social•1 day ago

I’m going to invite them to new ideas, to unite over common ground and shared values, and engage with kindness and compassion. Is anyone else starting to feel like “y’all are making it hard to be kind?!” And yet that’s the stupid light I want to see in the world so I’m trying hard to be it.

simpletim.bsky.social•1 day ago

I can remember back in the 70s when a river in Ohio was so polluted that it caught fire. Not to mention Love Canal. Only criminals and the ignorant reject environmental regulations.

artist-at-law.bsky.social•1 day ago

I didn’t learn about the river till law school. LAW school. We need to reform public education. Current events and social movements need to be taught alongside critical thinking. Apparently Finland and Italy teach climate in grade school. Cuz facts. Basic facts.

hbsj.bsky.social•1 day ago

Like the Millennium Bug: it didn't cause calamity because the problem was spotted and addressed

rawrtigerlily.bsky.social•1 day ago

I wrote a paper about this for school in *1997.*

dekaye1990.bsky.social•1 day ago

That's wild. I thought people knew that already.

artist-at-law.bsky.social•1 day ago

Off topic, but I have to say, LOVE LOVE LOVE your username omg.

dekaye1990.bsky.social•1 day ago

I'm getting him tattooed on me at some point because I love him so much! A blue, cartoon man with a green flat top raised me to be responsible with our planet. 🖤😂

artist-at-law.bsky.social•23 hours ago

We’ve got to bring back that show. And the Care Bears and the Reading Rainbow. Empathy, compassion, kindness, that’s what I want to see more of! 💖

dekaye1990.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Oh, I would LOVE that. We absolutely need those back on the air. Throw in Wishbone, too.

artist-at-law.bsky.social•22 hours ago

I’ll have to see if I can find Wishbone on YouTube. I was raised by total hippies so rarely had TV in our home, but even they approved Captain Planet 😂

coolnameliz.bsky.social•1 day ago

For younger people, watch any show filmed in LA in the 60-80's and you'll get a sense of what we are talking about. Or look at pictures of the Donora, PA smog event.

kamat.bsky.social•1 day ago

@pbs.org video on tackling Ozone Hole problem
https://www.pbs.org/show/ozone-hole-how-we-saved-planet/

kamat.bsky.social•1 day ago

Also https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/what-happened-to-the-hole-in-the-ozone-layer/

jenniferpetitt.bsky.social•1 day ago

I think it goes back to "if it bleeds it leads." Bad news always fills up more news space than good news. In science research, it's almost always the initial advancement that gets the hype: the success in a mouse model or a 10-person trial, not the final here's what we did! Drives me crazy.

grahamiancummins.bsky.social•1 day ago

If you add together:
1. an environmental problem existed
2. it was fixable
3. government axtion fixed something
4. by regulating industry

you've got all the top things modern conservatism can't abide anyone knowing

Rupert Murdoch's life's work is preventing people from knowing this.

abbylwatson.bsky.social•1 day ago

Fun fact: in the midst of the deliberations leading up to the Montreal Protocol, Reagan was diagnosed with skin cancer. Suddenly he decided maybe we should join the thing after all.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply