[graemep]

> The ozone hole problem has been essentially solved, acid rain has been essentially solved, mass scale water pollution like rivers catching on fire

All far less expensive to fix. Never actually heard of rivers catching fire?

Has acid rain been solved globally?

The ozone hole problem we got lucky on. It required global action but a lot of things lined up. Things like the British prime minster at the time being a former research chemist and therefore understanding the issue, and being successful at influencing both the US President at the time and European countries.

[rsynnott]

> Never actually heard of rivers catching fire?

This is the most famous example, though there have been a few of them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuyahoga_River

> Has acid rain been solved globally?

Not entirely, but largely.

[graemep]

On the rivers catching fire. Wow!

I think I may have heard of it as a freak event (e.g. an oil spill) but the same the same river catching fire 14 times is not something i realised happened.

[cameldrv]

The general environment in the 60s and 70s was extremely dirty. Every once in a while when I’m out with my kids, a classic car will roll by and I’ll admire it, but then my kids will hold their noses at the awful exhaust smell. That used to be every car.

It used to be that almost every river was unsafe to swim in.

It’s possible to fix environmental problems. It just requires the will.