Global Warming

 

Global Warming is a very controversial topic today. This is due to the varying schools of thought of the affects of global warming. Some people believe that global warming is due to an increase in pollution over the years which is causing holes in the ozone layer to develop. These holes in the ozone layer are acclaimed to allow more sunlight and UV rays to enter the atmosphere and affect the human habitat. The World Meteorological Organization is a group that supports this school of thought. They attribute global warming to greenhouse gases, ozone depletion, and aerosols in atmosphere. Another ideology for the cause of global warming is that the Earth is bound to go through different stages in which climate will change. Therefore, some scientists believe that regardless of the pollution in the air from cars, aerosols, or greenhouse gases the earth is due for a change in climate. Although in the media both ideas are thought to be on different ends of the spectrum they have similarities that bring them together. According to climatepath.com, the increase in temperature is due to an increase in human activity and productivity. As the human population advances in industrialization and technology so does pollution and waste. These advancements go into the atmosphere and cause climate changes that we as well as the ecosystem must adapt to in order to survive. The bottom line is that the Earth's climate will change just as humans have changed over the years--it is something that is bound to happen.

 Helpful Links:

• The Science of Climate of Change
• Environmental Defense Fund
• World Meteorological Organization

The Three Gorges Dam

 

The Three Gorges Dam is associated with a lot of controversy within China. The Dam brought about environmental change however, it came with the cost of its people. In the movie titled, Yangzte, an undercover Canadian camera crew went behind the scenes of the less common view of Chinese Life. The gap between the impoverished and wealthy in China is one that is far wider than that of the United States. The movie follows a young girl who lives on the Yangtze river and whose family is very poor. She wants to obtain a high school education but her parents cannot afford one; therefore, she is sent to work on the boat so that she can learn a skill and make money for her family. Even though she is not obtaining a higher education she is still learning a skill and most likely will end up better off through this family decision. In the movie one business man states while tears are dripping from his face, "It is so hard to be a normal person in China." The camera crew brought a farmer to view that dam and although he found it to be quite impressive he also said that it would not do him much good in the farming business. Upon constructing the dam, the Chinese government moved farmers and other agricultural workers from their homes into apartments they had built for them. This sounds like a great idea right? However, it proved not to be. This is due to the fact that one is placing farmers in an environment they are no longer used to and can no longer provide income for themselves by farming. Subsequently, uneducated farmers are forced to adapt at an unpractical rate in order to survive.

Acid Rain Fact Sheet

www.mercer.edu/ENP/ENP250/FactSheet-mdj.PDFRain, Rain...Go Away (Acid Rain Fact Sheet)

The purpose of this assignment was to become familiar with the process of making a fact sheet. The goal was to research content to present a global issue to a particular audience. One of the factors was making the fact sheet visually appearing so that the audience would find easy to read and would not become disinterested due to its appearance. The revision process was the most important. The teacher separated us into group in order to get peer reviews about the content and visual appearance of our fact sheet. After the peer review, we were instructed to conduct an external review in which we weighed the comments and suggestions of our peers and decided what we like to add, keep, and think a little more about. Subsequently, an overall better fact sheet was produced due to these editing processes.

Life Cycle Analysis of a Powerade Bottle (Part 1)

I am currently observing the life cycle of the Coca-Cola product of a Powerade Bottle. The product is made out of plastic which is shaped in a mold to produce its bottle form. The particular plastic made for a majority of the water and carbonated beverage bottles we use are classified as PET plastics. PET stands for Polyethylene terephthalate. Eighty Percent of the PET produced in the United States ends up in a Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or Nestle bottle.Coca-Cola purchases the bottles from manufacturing plants owned and operated by Southeast Container and Western Container. These companies are cooperatives of Coca-Cola Bottling Sales and Services, LLC. 

Issue Pertaining to Sustainability

The Dead Sea in Jordan is an example of an anoxic water site. The term anoxic is defined as a body water containing no oxygen hence why the Sea is named "Dead" Sea. These waters are often a product of oil spills or improper waste disposal. Once the polluted waters become anoxic they are unable to sustain any sea life. Subsequently, the sea creatures and plant life die or attempt to migrate to another body of water. These polluted waters kill animals that have no choice but to suffer due to human carelessness. There is no reason to improperly dispose of waste when there are other methods.

Polar Bear Haiku

The purpose of this exercise was to write creative poetry in the form of a Haiku. A Haiku is a poem that has three lines consisting of a 5, 7, 5 syllable format. The Haiku formed in class was to exhibit an understanding of an array of photographs depicting different environmental issues. The Haiku I formulated in class conveys my perception of the environmental issue of the Global Warming in correspondence to the Polar Bear population.


Stranded Bear

Polar Bears stranded
in the middle of the sea
Pic is deceiving

Link:
Polar Bear Crisis