2020s in environmental history
As of July 2020[update], neither the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) nor the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) has officially approved the term as a recognized subdivision of geologic time,[1][2][3] but in May 2019, the AWG voted in favor of submitting a formal proposal to the ICS by 2021,[4] locating potential stratigraphic markers to the mid-twentieth century of the common era.[7] The report highlighted that if the status quo is not changed, biodiversity will continue to decline due to "currently unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, population growth and technological developments".Although experts had thought the insects would die out during the dry season in December 2019, unseasonal rains caused the incursion to reach unanticipated and hazardous levels.The heat has affected northern California, Idaho, western Nevada, Oregon, and Washington in the United States, as well as British Columbia, and, in its later phase, Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, and Yukon, all in Canada.The floods affected several river basins, first in the United Kingdom and later across northern and central Europe including Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy.[32][33][34] Milieudefensie v Royal Dutch Shell was a case heard by the district court of The Hague in the Netherlands in 2021 related to efforts by multinational corporations to curtail carbon dioxide emissions.[37][38][39][40][41] The impact of the court's decision was considered by legal experts to be strengthened due to its reliance on human rights standards and international measures on climate change.[47] From June 2021, the taiga forests in Siberia and the Far East region of Russia were hit by unprecedented wildfires, following record-breaking heat and drought.Experts estimate 500 million animals died, not including bats, frogs, or insects; one-third of Australia's koalas were killed, according to Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley.
Environmental historynatural environmentclimate changeAnthropoceneInternational Commission on StratigraphyInternational Union of Geological Sciencesgeologic timecommon eraBiodiversity lossUnited NationsGalapagos Islandsenvironmental degradation2020 in climate changenamed Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanesin AustraliaWestern United StatesArctic sea ice coverageEl NiñoMilne Ice ShelfNunavutice shelfUK Meteorological OfficeImpact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environmentNASA Earth ObservatoryCOVID-19 pandemicair pollutiongreenhouse gas emissionswater qualitynational responseslockdownstravel restrictionssocietytraveleconomic activityanthropauserenewable energy transitionclimate change mitigationHolocene extinctionWorld Wide Fund for NatureLiving Planet Reportwildlifeoverconsumptionpopulation growthintensive farmingsixth mass extinction2020 Caribbean earthquake2020 Zagreb earthquake2019–20 Australian bushfire season2020 Western United States wildfire season2020 Córdoba wildfires2021 Turkey wildfiresHurricane IdaHurricane Ianhuge swarmdesert locustsMiddle EastAfrica2019–2022 locust infestationHorn of Africaextreme heat waveWestern North AmericaPacific NorthwestWestern Canadanorthern Californiawestern NevadaOregonWashingtonBritish ColumbiaAlbertaManitobaNorthwest TerritoriesSaskatchewanthe highest temperature ever measured in CanadaHurricane EtaHurricane Iota2020 Aegean Sea earthquakeİzmirGreeceElazığ earthquake2020 Iran–Turkey earthquakes2020 Van avalancheswildfiresTurkey's forestits Mediterranean Regionthe country's historyEuropeancatastrophic floodsriver basinsUnited KingdomBelgiumGermanyLuxembourgNetherlandsSwitzerlandMilieudefensie v Royal Dutch ShellThe Haguecarbon dioxide emissionsNorilsk oil spillindustrial disasterNorilskstorage tankNornickeldiesel oilVladimir Putinstate of emergencyDaldykan RiverGreenpeace RussiaExxon Valdez oil spillProsecutor GeneralpermafrostSiberiaFar EastRussiaunprecedented wildfiresrecord-breaking heatjet streamclimate change in RussiapeatlandsNew South Wales (NSW)Sydneylightning strikesdroughtDenmarkkoalasMinister for the EnvironmentSussan Ley