Important Environmental Laws

Environmental Laws exist so that there are repercussions to our actions. We no longer live in a time where a corporation can simply dump their waste on the side of the road and there won’t be anybody there to hold them responsible. The studies that have been conducted over the past few decades have made it remarkably clear that human actions are having a direct negative impact on our environment, there is no denying that. This is why focusing on environmental protection has become so crucial. We are at a pivotal point in human history at this very moment and we are setting a precedent for how environmental protection will be handled in the future. If we do not give this subject the importance it needs now, we may realize that environmental laws need to be modified when it is too late. Below you will find the most important environmental laws currently in the books.

1. Clean Air Act – In the past couple hundred years, the amount of factories that have sprung up all over the world is a shocking number. While industrialization is helping economies to grow exponentially, it is also bringing tons of pollution along with it. Environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act are helping to make sure we have breathable air. Pollution has been a huge contributor to chronic lung diseases in developing countries that do not have the environmental protection legislation that we do. This act was made a law in 1970 so that there were standards set regarding the quality of the air in the United States. A significant amount of changes and amendments have been made to the act since its inception, forcing companies and corporation to follow stricter guidelines.

2. Clean Water Act – The motivation behind this environmental protection law is very similar to that of the Clean Air Act. Previously, many companies would dump their waste into local water sources, causing the public water supply to become contaminated. Environmental laws like the Clean Water Act made it so these companies would have to find alternate, safer ways to dispose of their waste. It took many sick and dead citizens, along with a large number of lawsuits to finally get the majority of companies to comply with these environmental protection rules, but in the end it got done. The Clean Water Act came about in 1972 and has also been amended several times for environmental protection purposes.

3. Federal Land Policy and Management Act – As we continue to grow and expand, the scenic nature of our country suffers the consequences. This act provides environmental protection to historical and scenic federal land. Environmental laws such as this one have made it illegal to build on, pollute, or destroy any of this land, which will help to preserve some of the essence of this country that has been tampered with by human forces.

These environmental laws have changed the course that our country was headed in and we should all be grateful for that. Just keep in mind that environmental protection is an ongoing process and that we need to think of ways to contribute to the cause.