MNN - Mother Nature Network

Jan. 1, 1968: Redwood National Park is established on California’s northern coast. The park protects some of the world’s tallest trees as well as rare species like the Northern spotted owl.

 

Jan. 1, 1971: Blues musician Edgar Winter releases the song "Save Our Planet," a gospel-tinged plea for the environment, as part of his new band’s first album, "Edgar Winter’s White Trash."

 

Jan. 1, 1989: The Montreal Protocol, a global treaty to restrict the use of chlorofluorocarbons and other chemicals known to damage the Earth’s protective ozone layer, takes effect. Twenty-one years later, a United Nations science panel reports that damage to the ozone layer has begun to reverse itself. The panel projects that the seasonal polar "ozone holes" will cease to exist by the mid-21st century.

 

Jan. 1, 1991: Sweden becomes the world’s first nation to enact a carbon tax. To date, the country's economy has not fallen apart.