The Worst Manmade Environmental Disasters in History
Environmental disasters generally fall into two categories: natural and manmade. The eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 destroyed flora and fauna across hundreds of square miles and partially blocked out the sun in areas where sunlight is essential to environmental health. According to the USGS, “The plume spread across the United States in 3 days and circled the earth in 15.” In some areas, the sun was blocked out completely. Another major event, the Boxing Day tsunami of December 26, 2004, was triggered by an undersea earthquake and permanently altered the environments of parts of Indonesia and Thailand.
Climate Crisis247 chose to focus exclusively on manmade environmental disasters that had a colossal effect on parts of the world — events whose consequences, in some cases, persist to this day. Although last year’s Drago Bravo Fire is not among those examined here, its effects will last for many decades, much like the Yellowstone fires of 1988, which burned nearly a third of the park.
To identify the worst manmade environmental disasters, Climate Crisis247 drew on material from the NOAA, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Interior Department, the EPA, the World Economic Forum, as well as lists compiled by ACE Environmental and media outlets including TIME, US News, and Treehugger.
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster (April 26, 1986, Ukraine)
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident was the worst reactor catastrophe in world history. According to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, “The accident and the fire that followed released massive amounts of radioactive material into the environment.” The Soviet government relocated 115,000 people from the immediate area. The UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation reported that “the Chernobyl accident also resulted in widespread radioactive contamination in areas of Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine inhabited by several million people.” Some parts of the region remain permanently uninhabitable. Investigators concluded that the reactor had been poorly designed and constructed, a deficiency that allowed for a catastrophic power surge.
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (April 20, 2010, Gulf of Mexico, USA)
An unexpected surge of hydrocarbons into the well caused a blowout. The Interior Department’s Gulf Coast Oil Spill Investigation Report concluded that “the central cause of the blowout was failure of a cement barrier in the production casing string, a high-strength steel pipe set in a well to ensure well integrity and to allow future production.” The accident led to 87 days of uninterrupted oil flow to the surface, totaling 3.19 million barrels of spilled crude. The NOAA determined that hundreds of thousands of birds and fish were killed as a result.
Bhopal Gas Tragedy (December 2–3, 1984, India)
This disaster is estimated to have killed over 21,000 people, with financial settlements to victims’ families eventually reaching $470 million. According to Amnesty International, “Shortly before midnight on December 2, 1984, a terrible cloud, consisting of tons of the deadly gas methyl isocyanate (MIC), along with other chemicals, began to leak into the atmosphere from the storage tank of the U.S. multinational corporation Union Carbide Corporation’s pesticide plant on the outskirts of Bhopal in central India.” Bhopal had a population of one million, and the Indian government estimates that over half a million people were exposed to the gas. As the National Library of Medicine notes, “It became one of the worst chemical disasters in history, and the name Bhopal became synonymous with industrial catastrophe.”
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (March 24, 1989, Alaska, USA)
When the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground, the resulting spill released 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound, contaminating over 1,300 miles of shoreline. Estimates suggest that more than 4,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, and 300 seals were killed. According to the NOAA Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program, Exxon settled in 1991 with funds disbursed in three parts: a criminal plea agreement ($25 million), criminal restitution ($100 million), and a civil settlement ($900 million). The final government report concluded that Joseph Hazelwood, the captain of the Exxon Valdez, had been drinking at the time of the accident.
Minamata Mercury Poisoning (1956 Outbreak, Japan)
This catastrophe unfolded slowly over many years. The disaster takes its name from the city at its center, and that same name is now attached to the neurological disease caused by severe mercury poisoning that affected residents of the area for decades. The first known victim was hospitalized in 1956. Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, muscle weakness, loss of peripheral vision, and damage to hearing and speech. These effects were caused by methylmercury — a dangerous chemical present in wastewater dumped by the Chisso Corporation between 1932 and 1968. Well over 2,000 people were officially diagnosed with poisoning, and a settlement with victims totaled $68 million. Accordingto the Collaborative for Health & Environment, “The mercury was biotransformed by bacteria in the water into methylmercury, or organic mercury, that bioaccumulated and biomagnified in the muscle of fish.”
Great Smog of London (December 5–9, 1952, UK)
The widespread burning of coal during an unusually cold period caused enormous quantities of sulphur dioxide to accumulate in a thick smog blanketing the British capital. Approximately 2,000 people died and more than 10,000 were sickened. According to the National Library of Medicine, “The London smog of 1952 is one of history’s most important air pollution episodes in terms of its impact on science, public perception of air pollution, and government regulation.” The smog was so dense that driving became nearly impossible, bus service was suspended, and the London Underground became the only viable means of getting around the city.
