The Environmental Movement and Legislative Progress The image of the Cuyahoga River on fire became an icon of the environmental movement. In 1970, Congress passed several important acts for environmental protection, including the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act. However, these legislations only addressed easy fixes like stopping river fires.
Environmental Challenges Today "Low-hanging fruit" solutions are not enough to solve today's complex environmental problems. Our societal behavior is at the root of these issues. Groundwater extraction for bottled water poses a threat to aquatic resources like trout streams in Michigan. Plastic pollution in oceans also causes significant damage to marine life.