In October 1973, the United States of America was perhaps the largest economic crisis since World War II.
Six days after the start of the Yom Kippur war, US President Nixon approved military assistance to Israel worth $ 2.2 billion after the Soviet Union did an identical thing to the Arab states.
The embargo did not last long on the scene and was taken down in March 1974, but due to the earlier crisis, oil prices remained high. Contrary to expectations, the state introduced several new laws, such as safety standards (which only increased the dimensions of already tall cars) and the so-called "Clear Air Act", aimed at reducing smog rates.
There's nothing a government can do to clean it up as long as 100 million people keep dumping in it, and that will continue until an alien life form spontaneously rises out of its sacred waters some moon-lit night and terrorizes some town's people.
