Article- Charles River Opens For First Public Swim Since the 1950s, Billy Baker, 7/13/2013 (The article is from the worksheet handed out in class)
Topic: Contaminated Water
Summary:
Since the 1950s, the Charles River was finally open for the public to swim in. The river received a grade D from the EPA in 1995, but in 2011 it improved majorly and received a B. It took six months for the officials to get permits to allow the public to swim in the Charles River. People described the water being warm with an orange/ beef broth color; however, they continued to swim in the river and enjoyed their time. Furthermore, the bottom of the river is still toxic, but as long as no one touches the bottom people were safe.
I chose this article because I wanted to read more about the Charles River and the people's reactions. What I found shocking was the fact that people were allowed to swim in the river even though the bottom of the river remained toxic. It was also shocking to read the people's reactions; they described the color of the water looking weird, but they continued to swim in it which is crazy.
This article is important to environmental science because it proves how water contamination is real and not taken seriously. The toxic in the bottom of the water is still going to cause problems for the marine environment and to our health. Our next steps is to really examine the river, and see if it is truly safe to swim in. We should now educate people in what contaminated water can do to our health, and make them realize that swimming in the Charles River is still not safe if it continues to look the way it is.
Friday, April 8, 2016
"Waste Water Treatment Plant" Reflection
Deer Island is a waste water treatment plant that is connected to Winthrop. All of the town's wastewater goes to the Deer Island, and pass through stages before it is dumped into Boston Harbor. First the waste water goes to the pump station that pumps the waste water up. It travels to the 60 grit chambers which spins out inorganic materials. Those materials are put into a truck that will be sent to landfills in New Hampshire. The rest of the waste water enters the 4 primary tanks, then to the oxygen reactors. After that the waste water goes through a secondary treatment. Finally it goes into chlorination and declaration. After all these steps the waste water is dumped six half miles in the Boston Harbor. The sludge, that the treatments extracted, is recycled and turned into fertilizer called the Bay Set Fertilizer. They have teams that make sure the waste water dumped out into the harbor is not infecting it.
It was interesting to know that the Boston Harbor is flourishing, and is in a better condition after they stopped dumping waste water directly into it. This is when they started to do treatments, keeping the Harbor clean and healthy. It is amazing to see the process waste water goes through to be clean enough to be dumped out. The waste water treatment plant is important to the environment because it keeps clean water from being contaminated by the waste water that is dumped out. It keeps marine life flourishing, and helps us to have safe water.
It was interesting to know that the Boston Harbor is flourishing, and is in a better condition after they stopped dumping waste water directly into it. This is when they started to do treatments, keeping the Harbor clean and healthy. It is amazing to see the process waste water goes through to be clean enough to be dumped out. The waste water treatment plant is important to the environment because it keeps clean water from being contaminated by the waste water that is dumped out. It keeps marine life flourishing, and helps us to have safe water.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
"Pacific Garbage Patch" Reflection
Vice sailed out to the North Pacific Gyre to create a documentary on the Pacific Garbage Patch. Much of the trash can not be seen on the surface; however, there are occasions where trash will float up, but most of the trash is underneath the surface of the water and many are fragments, especially of plastic. They discovered that a lot of the garbage is mostly plastic; the ratio between plastic to sea life is 6:1. They took many water samples, and found out micro plastics are floating in the ocean. They said it is impossible to clean up all the trash. It would take about 6.6 billion people during their life time to clean it up. The micro plastics are going to cause environmental and human health issues; fish would eat them then will be consumed by us. Also when plastic brakes down in the water it leaches out toxic chemicals making it harmful for marine life. Our planet is going downhill with all the pollution we are causing, especially water pollution. We are basically eating our own trash that we through away.
I agree with what the man said in the documentary about how we need to stop using plastic. If we stop using it the input of it in the ocean will decrease, and the ocean will have a chance to process it. We have become a society that uses to much plastic for everything Everywhere I go I always see plastic bags on the floor or even up on a tree. It is only causing harm to our environment. I can not believe that our trash is found in the middle of no where out in the ocean. It is really sad knowing that all our trash is being washed out into the ocean causing major problems. I agree something needs to be done.
I agree with what the man said in the documentary about how we need to stop using plastic. If we stop using it the input of it in the ocean will decrease, and the ocean will have a chance to process it. We have become a society that uses to much plastic for everything Everywhere I go I always see plastic bags on the floor or even up on a tree. It is only causing harm to our environment. I can not believe that our trash is found in the middle of no where out in the ocean. It is really sad knowing that all our trash is being washed out into the ocean causing major problems. I agree something needs to be done.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
EcoBook #31- Food Security
EcoBook #30- Sustainability
EcoBook #29- Urban Sprawl
Friday, March 25, 2016
"ScrAPES #20- Great Bear Rainforest Protected From Massive Logging"
Podcast- Living on Earth Podcast, Great Bear Rainforest Protected From Massive Logging, week of February 5, 2016, Start: 00:01 End: 07:43
Topic: Protection
Summary:
After many years of negotiation between 26 First Nations, five logging companies, three environmentalist groups, provincial government, and local governments they reached a decision that everyone could live with that involves the Great Bear Rainforest. 85% of the Great Bear Rainforest is protected, and 15% is open to logging. This balance is created after the incident of the threat of the markets campaign. 700 people where arrested and there were trials, and it gave the British Colombia's forest products a bad name which prompted them to start negotiating so it does not happen again in the future. In order to keep the balance the First Nations had to be consulted before the government choose a location that is open to logging.
I chose this podcast because I wanted to read more about the compromise that took place. What I found interesting was the fact that after so many years a compromise was finally settled. I also found interesting the way the Rainforest was divided up- it seems reasonable.
The podcast is important to environmental science because people finally came together and came up with a compromise that protects a large portion of the rainforest. The next step is to continue to come up with ways in which we can still protect the environment, but also cover our needs. We should now try to improve our environment by using alternatives, and looking closely at ways where a compromise can be met that is good for the environment and for us.
Topic: Protection
Summary:
After many years of negotiation between 26 First Nations, five logging companies, three environmentalist groups, provincial government, and local governments they reached a decision that everyone could live with that involves the Great Bear Rainforest. 85% of the Great Bear Rainforest is protected, and 15% is open to logging. This balance is created after the incident of the threat of the markets campaign. 700 people where arrested and there were trials, and it gave the British Colombia's forest products a bad name which prompted them to start negotiating so it does not happen again in the future. In order to keep the balance the First Nations had to be consulted before the government choose a location that is open to logging.
I chose this podcast because I wanted to read more about the compromise that took place. What I found interesting was the fact that after so many years a compromise was finally settled. I also found interesting the way the Rainforest was divided up- it seems reasonable.
The podcast is important to environmental science because people finally came together and came up with a compromise that protects a large portion of the rainforest. The next step is to continue to come up with ways in which we can still protect the environment, but also cover our needs. We should now try to improve our environment by using alternatives, and looking closely at ways where a compromise can be met that is good for the environment and for us.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
EcoBook #28- Eutrophication
EcoBook #27- Autotroph
EcoBook #26- Throw-away society
Friday, March 11, 2016
"ScrAPES #19- How Tap Water became toxic in Flint"
Article- How Tap Water became toxic in Flint, Sara Ganim and Linh Tran, 1/13/2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/11/health/toxic-tap-water-flint-michigan/
Topic: Water Pollution
Summary:
During a financial state of emergency, the state decided to save money by switching Flint's water supples from Lake Huron to Flint River, which is dirty. As a result to the change, the residents did not have clean water due to the high iron content found in their new water supply. The state Department of Environmental Quality did not treat the Flint River water with an anti-corrosive agent which caused lead to also leach into the water supply. This problem has been going on for nearly 2 years. The city and state officials decided to reassure the worried residents that "everything was fine" by having Flint Mayor Walling drinking the water on TV to prove a point. The residents where kept in the dark for 18 months without understanding what was happening, and not knowing the consequences that came from drinking the contaminated water. A local doctor spoke up about the health issues that came from lead poisoning in the contaminated water: rashes, hair loss, and high blood lead levels, especially in toddlers, leading to lifelong consequences. In October, the city switched back to using Lake Huron water supplies; however, the damage was already done to the lead pipes. Everyone is blaming the state Department of Environmental Quality; they are being investigated.
I chose this article because I wanted to understand what was happing to the water supply in Flint. What I found upsetting is the fact that the state decided to switch Flint's water supplies even after they knew the water was filthy. The thing that I did not know is that lead poisoning lead to major health problems.
This article is important to environmental science because pollution is becoming a major issue that is caused by us. Water pollution is not good for the environment and people. Our next step is to improve Flint by making it more safe and establish new homes, clean water, jobs, and markets because the city is going through tough times and is being abandoned. We should now focus in ways to prevent tragedies like this from happening, and try to stop pollution.
Topic: Water Pollution
Summary:
During a financial state of emergency, the state decided to save money by switching Flint's water supples from Lake Huron to Flint River, which is dirty. As a result to the change, the residents did not have clean water due to the high iron content found in their new water supply. The state Department of Environmental Quality did not treat the Flint River water with an anti-corrosive agent which caused lead to also leach into the water supply. This problem has been going on for nearly 2 years. The city and state officials decided to reassure the worried residents that "everything was fine" by having Flint Mayor Walling drinking the water on TV to prove a point. The residents where kept in the dark for 18 months without understanding what was happening, and not knowing the consequences that came from drinking the contaminated water. A local doctor spoke up about the health issues that came from lead poisoning in the contaminated water: rashes, hair loss, and high blood lead levels, especially in toddlers, leading to lifelong consequences. In October, the city switched back to using Lake Huron water supplies; however, the damage was already done to the lead pipes. Everyone is blaming the state Department of Environmental Quality; they are being investigated.
I chose this article because I wanted to understand what was happing to the water supply in Flint. What I found upsetting is the fact that the state decided to switch Flint's water supplies even after they knew the water was filthy. The thing that I did not know is that lead poisoning lead to major health problems.
This article is important to environmental science because pollution is becoming a major issue that is caused by us. Water pollution is not good for the environment and people. Our next step is to improve Flint by making it more safe and establish new homes, clean water, jobs, and markets because the city is going through tough times and is being abandoned. We should now focus in ways to prevent tragedies like this from happening, and try to stop pollution.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
"Food Miles" Reflection
In the food miles activity we tried to predict the carbon footprint of certain items. The carbon foot print of each item where: waffles- 800 units, spaghetti and meatballs- 1600 units, whole grain cereal- 1224 units, and 1 fresh fruit- 84 units. This showed that the spaghetti and meatballs had the highest carbon footprint compared to the other products because a lot of process went into it from the point where it started to our plates, whereas fresh fruit had a lower carbon footprint because it went through less process to get to consumers. I learned that growing food closer to home is better for the environment and for us. Fruits and vegetables will have more nutrients because it grow in full ripeness instead of harvested early and ripened with chemicals gasses in transport and storage. Food grown further away results in large quantities of greenhouse gas emissions; the bigger the food footprint, the bigger the carbon footprint.
The food that I eat mostly comes from California, Florida, Canada, Mexico, Chile, etc. because I buy them at a Supermarket. I can reduce my own food miles by going to the Farmer's market in Boston, and buy locally grown food instead of buying oranges grown in Florida. I can also plant my own vegetable garden in the backyard during spring/summer time. Food miles is important to the environment because not growing food locally is producing major greenhouse emissions. Growing food far away is using up a lot of energy and food safety is also an issue. To reduce the carbon footprint we have to grow food locally and eat healthier. The smaller the distance the better it is.
The food that I eat mostly comes from California, Florida, Canada, Mexico, Chile, etc. because I buy them at a Supermarket. I can reduce my own food miles by going to the Farmer's market in Boston, and buy locally grown food instead of buying oranges grown in Florida. I can also plant my own vegetable garden in the backyard during spring/summer time. Food miles is important to the environment because not growing food locally is producing major greenhouse emissions. Growing food far away is using up a lot of energy and food safety is also an issue. To reduce the carbon footprint we have to grow food locally and eat healthier. The smaller the distance the better it is.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
EcoBook #25- Nonrenewable resource
EcoBook #24- Omnivore
EcoBook #23- Air Pollution
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
"Oregon Rancher Standoff" Reflection
The self-styled militia is protesting against the government for their regulations and owning to much land. Members of the militia group broke into the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, are armed and standing ground. They are trying to help the people of Harney County to claim back their lands and resources. Ranchers are having trouble getting and owning more land to raise cattle because of their financial problems. Instead, they are leasing federal lands to sustain their operation; the federal government controls a large amount of land in the west. The federal government's regulations on these lands are seen as "unfair"; it limits the ranchers' freedom of of full use of the lands. The militia is also protesting the arson convictions of the Oregon ranchers, the Hammonds, who are in jail for 5 years for burning BLM lands. The militia thinks there is "too much government" abusing their power and limiting the people's freedom. They believe enough is enough. Right now the best approach that is being done is waiting the group out in the hopes that the protesting will die off.
I think the standoff is going too far. I think they should try a different approach, like setting up a private meeting to talk about their differences instead of the protest or violence. Maybe this can help to come to an agreement or make things more civilized. I think the government can make this happen because they have higher authority to set up a private meeting. I think the Hammonds are going to be hurt by the standoff. People might get mad at the Hammonds for unintentionally starting the standoff. What I think this is doing to the Refuge is causing bigger problems on the land. For the ranchers, I think the standoff is harming their reputation because they can also be looked down upon if the militia does something bad. For the taxpayers, the standoff is costing them a lot of money.
Friday, January 22, 2016
"Fast Food to All Food" Reflection
Modern farms are now like factories; farming becoming so industrialized and mechanized that its production has changed greatly by corporations controlling all production processes. The poultry industry, for example, changed to factory farms. Mistreatments of chickens are now happening because chickens are only seen as "a unit of production rather than a living creature." Chickens are raised in big metal buildings with lack of sunlight and air, confined together with thousand of birds, and engineered to grow quickly that causes the chickens to lose their ability to walk because they no longer can carry their weight. Because of society's movement to fast food, the food industry is trying to raise animals in an efficient and cost-effective way which does not improve the lives of the animals.
If animals do have certain rights, those rights do apply to animals we raise for food, like chicken or pigs. They are just like people: they are living creatures who have souls and feelings. The farm animals should have the right to be treated with fairness and kindness. They should have the right to not be gruesomely slaughtered, but instead be put down in a more humane way that does not make them suffer. They should also have the right to move around freely, and live in a cleaner environment or in their natural environment. The statement "In a way, we're not producing chickens, we're producing food" means they are not raising chickens, but instead raising food that will produce money for the corporations. I disagree with this statement because even though the chickens are raised as food, they are still living creatures that should be treated humanly. This perspective of the National Chicken Council does affect the way that chicken are raised because the council only sees the chickens as a source of food that does not need proper care. They see it that the chickens will eventually be killed and be used as food.
If we are all in an agreement that even food animals deserve to have a certain quality of life, the farm workers are responsible to oversee the treatment of chickens or other animals because the animals are under their care. The responsibility of individuals and consumers are to stop buying food products from big chain companies, but instead buy organic food that is free range that we know the animals were able to have some type of good life. The government responsibility is to look after companies to make sure that they are not allowing the mistreatment of the animals especially the farm animals. The companies responsibility is to create new methods of taking care of the animals, by providing better environments for them and not seeing them as just food.
The change in the way we treat animals will change the price of what we have for dinner because more money will be put into better systems to care for the animals, which will rise the price for the consumers. I think I would still be able to afford chicken because it is similar to buying organic chicken that is free range- the price is high, but you still buy a healthier product. This change might effect my life because I might have to cut down the amount of chicken that I eat because of high prices.
If animals do have certain rights, those rights do apply to animals we raise for food, like chicken or pigs. They are just like people: they are living creatures who have souls and feelings. The farm animals should have the right to be treated with fairness and kindness. They should have the right to not be gruesomely slaughtered, but instead be put down in a more humane way that does not make them suffer. They should also have the right to move around freely, and live in a cleaner environment or in their natural environment. The statement "In a way, we're not producing chickens, we're producing food" means they are not raising chickens, but instead raising food that will produce money for the corporations. I disagree with this statement because even though the chickens are raised as food, they are still living creatures that should be treated humanly. This perspective of the National Chicken Council does affect the way that chicken are raised because the council only sees the chickens as a source of food that does not need proper care. They see it that the chickens will eventually be killed and be used as food.
If we are all in an agreement that even food animals deserve to have a certain quality of life, the farm workers are responsible to oversee the treatment of chickens or other animals because the animals are under their care. The responsibility of individuals and consumers are to stop buying food products from big chain companies, but instead buy organic food that is free range that we know the animals were able to have some type of good life. The government responsibility is to look after companies to make sure that they are not allowing the mistreatment of the animals especially the farm animals. The companies responsibility is to create new methods of taking care of the animals, by providing better environments for them and not seeing them as just food.
The change in the way we treat animals will change the price of what we have for dinner because more money will be put into better systems to care for the animals, which will rise the price for the consumers. I think I would still be able to afford chicken because it is similar to buying organic chicken that is free range- the price is high, but you still buy a healthier product. This change might effect my life because I might have to cut down the amount of chicken that I eat because of high prices.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
"The Veil" Reflection
Food are now being Genetically engineered. The Genetically modified organimis (GMO) are developed by transferring genes and their traits from one organisms to another. The benefits of GMO technology are that it increases yield, enhance nutrition, and increase drought resistance crops. It is also primarily used to create GMO crops that are Herbicide-tolerant; which the application of herbicide will not destroy the crops. The concerns of GMO technology are the unknown health consequences, unintended transfer of genes, loss of biodiversity, and private companies controlling the world food production. Food production is a massive industry which leads to corporations protecting their earnings by passing laws and regulations. The food libel law, patent law, and the cheeseburger law were all passed in protecting the food industry. The major law that was passed was the food labeling law, this allowed companies to print out certain information on labels. This keeps consumers in the dark with out knowing what is in their food and how it is produced; with this it helps to keep everything running smoothly, keep prices low, and keep people from developing unnecessary fears.
The consequences -both positive and negative- of companies owning the genetic information in the seed is that it helps companies to take ownership of the seed and produce a lot of money for themselves; however, it puts them in the position of hiding things from the consumers that will jeopardize the company, and this leads them to creating laws and regulations. This situation compared to downloading music from "free" sites is almost similar because downloading music for free is taking away the income that the artist or the company would have been receiving. This is the reason why regulations and laws are created.
If I could no longer have the tradition in my family because someone now legally claims it I would think it is unfair and try to fight for my right to continue my tradition without them owning it. Maybe health educators will be more effective then warning labels for food. They can talk to the people, especially the youth, about the food they eat and the bad things that is in it that can cause future health problems. The pros and cons of the people who have been in the industry who are now becoming regulators working for the government is they are knowledgeable about the regulations, and might be reasonable and impartial making it; however, the problem is the regulators have to remain objective towards the people they may know in the industry, and the other con is that they might make regulations in favor of a company.
The consequences -both positive and negative- of companies owning the genetic information in the seed is that it helps companies to take ownership of the seed and produce a lot of money for themselves; however, it puts them in the position of hiding things from the consumers that will jeopardize the company, and this leads them to creating laws and regulations. This situation compared to downloading music from "free" sites is almost similar because downloading music for free is taking away the income that the artist or the company would have been receiving. This is the reason why regulations and laws are created.
If I could no longer have the tradition in my family because someone now legally claims it I would think it is unfair and try to fight for my right to continue my tradition without them owning it. Maybe health educators will be more effective then warning labels for food. They can talk to the people, especially the youth, about the food they eat and the bad things that is in it that can cause future health problems. The pros and cons of the people who have been in the industry who are now becoming regulators working for the government is they are knowledgeable about the regulations, and might be reasonable and impartial making it; however, the problem is the regulators have to remain objective towards the people they may know in the industry, and the other con is that they might make regulations in favor of a company.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
"Cornucopia" Reflection
Corn can be found in many food ingredients and processed foods. For instance, corn ingredients can be found in: breakfast cereals, salad dressings, margarines, snacks, glue, soap, medicine, fossil fuels, oil, etc. Corn is also fed to livestock because it is cheap and fattens the animal quicker. The government is encouraging farmers to produce so much corn and sell it at any price because corn is cheap and abundant. The United states is the number one corn-growing country in the world to have acres of corn instead of other crops. Scientists have developed a chemical fertilizer to increase soil nitrogen levels; allowing corn to be grown all year without destroying the soil. Corn is becoming the "go to" source for many of our processed foods.
People can better inform themselves about the foods they eat by reading the ingredients on the labels. They can also do their own research on the type of foods that are not good for their health. They can also go see a Nutritionist to gather information about the foods they are eating. People do have the right to know what is in their food. Food is the main source of our survival and health, but without knowing what is in it we put ourselves in serious health problems due to the fact that we are not properly informed of the ingredients that are in our food. The problem with having 90% of our food with corn or soy is that it can be difficult to avoid. Also it can lead to serious health problems. The government is responsible to inform us of what is in our food because they are responsible of the production of corn that is used in everything causing great health problems. Also companies should also have that responsibility to inform us because they are manufacturing the food that we are consuming.
People can better inform themselves about the foods they eat by reading the ingredients on the labels. They can also do their own research on the type of foods that are not good for their health. They can also go see a Nutritionist to gather information about the foods they are eating. People do have the right to know what is in their food. Food is the main source of our survival and health, but without knowing what is in it we put ourselves in serious health problems due to the fact that we are not properly informed of the ingredients that are in our food. The problem with having 90% of our food with corn or soy is that it can be difficult to avoid. Also it can lead to serious health problems. The government is responsible to inform us of what is in our food because they are responsible of the production of corn that is used in everything causing great health problems. Also companies should also have that responsibility to inform us because they are manufacturing the food that we are consuming.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
"Dollar Menu" Reflection
Subsidizing food is affecting our nation. The federal government is spending $35 billion each year subsiding commodity crops. This is leading to lower prices on the overproduction of corn and soybeans for example. These cheap and abundant crops are being used in everything- mostly in our daily foods. This is what makes subsidized ingredients so cheap compared to fruits and vegetables. There is little encouragement in overproducing specialty crops- food that we should actually be eating. The farm subsidies is causing income, diet, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes problems.
I believe healthy eating is a right. Everyone should have the right to be able to eat healthy. The federal government should lower the prices of healthy food so that everyone can afford it; restructuring the farm subsidy system can be the first step to providing better food for everyone. The federal government should also look more closely at the health problems people are facing due to the fast food industry or processed food in the markets. They should focus on bettering our health, and giving us the right to consume affordable healthy foods. My diet today compared to my grandparents' diet at my age is very different. My grandparents grew up on a farm in Italy so they practically produced everything that they ate; everything was organic and fresh from the farm. I try my best eating everything organic as well; however, that is not always possible due to many processed foods out there. I eat pretty healthy. I do not eat a lot of take out foods or fast foods. I eat a lot of organic food such as green lentils, quinoa, kale, carrots, etc. I also eat a lot of salad and fruits. I eat a lot of fish and chicken; once a while I eat beef, pork, etc. The thing that stands in the way of my family and I eating healthy right now is that we can not always afford to buy organic food due to high prices.
I believe healthy eating is a right. Everyone should have the right to be able to eat healthy. The federal government should lower the prices of healthy food so that everyone can afford it; restructuring the farm subsidy system can be the first step to providing better food for everyone. The federal government should also look more closely at the health problems people are facing due to the fast food industry or processed food in the markets. They should focus on bettering our health, and giving us the right to consume affordable healthy foods. My diet today compared to my grandparents' diet at my age is very different. My grandparents grew up on a farm in Italy so they practically produced everything that they ate; everything was organic and fresh from the farm. I try my best eating everything organic as well; however, that is not always possible due to many processed foods out there. I eat pretty healthy. I do not eat a lot of take out foods or fast foods. I eat a lot of organic food such as green lentils, quinoa, kale, carrots, etc. I also eat a lot of salad and fruits. I eat a lot of fish and chicken; once a while I eat beef, pork, etc. The thing that stands in the way of my family and I eating healthy right now is that we can not always afford to buy organic food due to high prices.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
"ScrAPES #18- A Vital New Initiative to Learn How Roads Are Imperiling Nature"
Article- A Vital New Initiative to Learn How Roads Are Imperiling Nature, Bill Laurance, 12/16/2015, http://alert-conservation.org/issues-research-highlights/2015/12/16/a-vital-new-effort-to-learn-how-roads-are-imperiling-nature
Topic: Road Expansion
Summary:
The construction of roads are causing environmental problems such as habitat fragmentation and forest deforestation. In 2050 there would be 25 million kilometers of new paved road. Nine-tenths of the new roads will be built in tropical and subtropical regions located in developing nations which has great biodiversity that is important to the environment. A lot of these roads were built illegally by loggers, miners, illicit-drug producers, and many others looking for forest resources. A Roadless Project was created to map out legal and illegal roads; studying how the roads impact forests and wildlife, productivity planning roads, identifying wilderness areas, and detecting illegal activities. The results gathered from the project will help to enforce environmental laws, better plan and manage roads, and carbon trading to encourage forest conservation.
I chose this article because I wanted to learn more about how the construction of roads is harming our environment. What I found interesting was the fact that in 2050 we will have more roads built that can circle the earth 600 times. I can connect this article to a reading in the AP Environmental book that talked about the human developments that caused habitat fragmentation which led to the decrease of biodiversity and resulted to inbreeding depression.
This article is important to environmental science because the development of roads is destroying natural habitats and decreasing wildlife. The next step is to continue the Roadless Project, and develop more environmental laws to protect the environment. We must now work our hardest to conserve habitats, and spread the word of the negative impacts human activities have on the environment.
Topic: Road Expansion
Summary:
The construction of roads are causing environmental problems such as habitat fragmentation and forest deforestation. In 2050 there would be 25 million kilometers of new paved road. Nine-tenths of the new roads will be built in tropical and subtropical regions located in developing nations which has great biodiversity that is important to the environment. A lot of these roads were built illegally by loggers, miners, illicit-drug producers, and many others looking for forest resources. A Roadless Project was created to map out legal and illegal roads; studying how the roads impact forests and wildlife, productivity planning roads, identifying wilderness areas, and detecting illegal activities. The results gathered from the project will help to enforce environmental laws, better plan and manage roads, and carbon trading to encourage forest conservation.
I chose this article because I wanted to learn more about how the construction of roads is harming our environment. What I found interesting was the fact that in 2050 we will have more roads built that can circle the earth 600 times. I can connect this article to a reading in the AP Environmental book that talked about the human developments that caused habitat fragmentation which led to the decrease of biodiversity and resulted to inbreeding depression.
This article is important to environmental science because the development of roads is destroying natural habitats and decreasing wildlife. The next step is to continue the Roadless Project, and develop more environmental laws to protect the environment. We must now work our hardest to conserve habitats, and spread the word of the negative impacts human activities have on the environment.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
"ScrAPES #17- Greenland's Melting Ice Problem May Be Far Worse Than We Realized"
Article- Greenland's Melting Ice Problem May Be Far Worse Than We Realized, Lydia O'Connor, 1/05/2016, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/greenland-ice-melting-study_568c0e60e4b0b958f65d20ea?
Topic: Climate Change
Summary:
Climate change is causing Greenland's ice sheet to melt which is causing the world's largest island to shrink. Researchers said that if the entire ice sheet melts the global sea level will rise to 23 feet. They found out that Greenland's "firn" does not limit the effects of climate change as they thought it would do. The firn is a sponge-like snow on top of the ice sheet that absorbs and stores melting water so it does not go into the ocean. Researchers pointed out that during the warmer summers, large amounts of melting water blocked the pours in the firn and harden, creating a layer of ice. By looking at the results of the firn, researchers figured out that they truly did not know all the different ways climate change is affecting the world.
I chose this article because we learned about the effects climate change had on species, and I thought it was interesting to learn more about its effects on the world. What I found interesting is how the researchers figured out that they have much bigger problems on their hands than what they thought they did before about climate change. This connects to the readings that I did that talked about how climate change were caused my humans, and resulting to negative effects on our environment.
This article is important to environmental science because climate change is one of the many factors that is caused by humans that is harming our environment The next steps is try to do more research on climate change, and try to understand its patterns and effects on our environment. We should now start working together and figuring out ways to help improve our environment and stop harming it.
Topic: Climate Change
Summary:
Climate change is causing Greenland's ice sheet to melt which is causing the world's largest island to shrink. Researchers said that if the entire ice sheet melts the global sea level will rise to 23 feet. They found out that Greenland's "firn" does not limit the effects of climate change as they thought it would do. The firn is a sponge-like snow on top of the ice sheet that absorbs and stores melting water so it does not go into the ocean. Researchers pointed out that during the warmer summers, large amounts of melting water blocked the pours in the firn and harden, creating a layer of ice. By looking at the results of the firn, researchers figured out that they truly did not know all the different ways climate change is affecting the world.
I chose this article because we learned about the effects climate change had on species, and I thought it was interesting to learn more about its effects on the world. What I found interesting is how the researchers figured out that they have much bigger problems on their hands than what they thought they did before about climate change. This connects to the readings that I did that talked about how climate change were caused my humans, and resulting to negative effects on our environment.
This article is important to environmental science because climate change is one of the many factors that is caused by humans that is harming our environment The next steps is try to do more research on climate change, and try to understand its patterns and effects on our environment. We should now start working together and figuring out ways to help improve our environment and stop harming it.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
"Habitat Fragmentation" Reflection
Habitat fragmentation is the process by which habitat loss result in the division of large, continuous habitats into smaller, more isolated remnants. The activity we did in class was that we represented bears in a habitat, and had four different colored cards representing our genes. It was mating season, so each of us had to go around and collect a total of four cards that where the same color. Only two students, "bears", died because they fell into inbreeding depression. They did not have a total of four cards with the same color. In the second round, a road was built to represent a habitat fragmentation, splitting us up. The game was repeated again to get four different colors this time in our section. Many more of us were kicked out. The third round was another habitat fragmentation, splitting us up even more and then the game repeated. This activity represented habitat fragmentation because in each round our space become smaller and smaller, separating us from each other, and only working with the few people in our area; we were unable to cross the "human developments" which resulted to fewer of us in the game. This activity reflects the actual event that is happening in our environment, limited biodiversity and species extinction.
Habitat fragmentation is effecting our planet because humans are continuing to alter the natural habitats of species causing more extinction. Not every species can adapt to change so quickly which results to a decline in biodiversity that later results to extinct. The other causes of habitat fragmentation other then human development is natural processes such as the Allopatric Speciation; for instance rivers can cause a division among species. The loss of biodiversity is causing harm to our environment.
Habitat fragmentation is effecting our planet because humans are continuing to alter the natural habitats of species causing more extinction. Not every species can adapt to change so quickly which results to a decline in biodiversity that later results to extinct. The other causes of habitat fragmentation other then human development is natural processes such as the Allopatric Speciation; for instance rivers can cause a division among species. The loss of biodiversity is causing harm to our environment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)