Post Due 4/23

While climate change has become the focus point of environmental debate, world land use deserves just as much concern. Thirty percent of non-ice land on earth is used for agriculture, and the practices we use are degrading the quality of these ecosystems, if not completely destroying them. Current agricultural practices have fundamentally affected the chemistry of the earth, distributing phosphorous and nitrogen where it is not usually found, creating dead zones in my waterways.
This pollution affects ecosystem balances and their function, leading to degradation of their services. Also, one third of the three top green house gas emissions result from agricultural practices, including deforestation.
Is it possible to balance environmental concerns with production needs?

Post due 4/16

As global climate change continues, we are able to observe trends that result from warming temperatures. One such trend is a rise in sea level, an estimated eight to ten inches since 1880. This pattern is predicted to continue, and possibly accelerate, over the coming decades.
This rise in sea level will cause a destruction of current coast lines, destroying already formed habitats. The covered coast line will no longer support the same amount of plant life, leading to a decrease in carbon depletion from the atmosphere, adding to the problem.
Can this process be reversed?

Post due 4/9

VICE magazine has begun to cover climate change, to an audience that does not normally hear it. They are specifically focused on Greenland, and the ice melting there. This is personal to them because the ocean level is rising, affecting the entire globe. 

Greenland's ice is melting rapidly, destroying habitats of that country. Also, the ocean's water levels are rising due to this added water, which is affecting coastal habitats all over the world. 

Can this process be reversed? 

Post due 4/2

Air pollution is greatest preventable killer. Air pollution caused 7 million deaths in 2012 alone, greatly affecting South East Asia and the Western Pacific. Exposure happens indoors and outdoors, due to fumes from burning fuels and industry emissions.
Air pollution also affects the environment, as it lowers plant function, cutting the bottom of the food web down considerably. This rocks entire ecosystems, as well as affecting the lung function of many animals.
Can this process be reversed?

Post Due 3/26

As the global population rises, so does the demand for food. This in turn increases the agricultural cow population, which has been contributing to green house gasses due to their methane production. This methane production is potent and has been adding to the greenhouse effect.
The added greenhouse effect increases the heat trapped inside the earths atmosphere. This affects plant life as well as water evaporation rates.
Can a food source be developed for cows that will reduce or eliminate their methane production?

Post due 3/12

There is a mass of garbage floating in the pacific ocean, which has begun to distress environmentalists. Most of the garbage is undetectable to the human eye because it is broken down plastic. This heap of garbage is growing and negatively impacting the environment.
Many animals are dying because they are mistaking the garbage for food and consuming it. Also, the break down of plastic releases toxins into the area, harming all wildlife.
How can this mess be cleaned up?

Post due 3/5

The greater Houston area depends on waste water from north Texas to supplement its water supply. Though, north Texas cities are starting to recycle and reuse their own waste water, in preparation for another drought. This may cause an even more damaging dry spell to Houston. 

If Houston looses that much of its water supply, local plans will die due to lack of water. This mass death of vegetation will increase erosion of land as there will be nothing to hold it down- changing the landscape. 

Will Houston be able to recycle it's own water waste? 

Post Due 2/25

The United States' current energy use will not be sustainable in the future with current methods of fossil fuel consumption. One option to this problem is the use of Hydrogen as a medium for storing energy created from renewable resources, expanding their potential. Hydrogen is a practical option because the infrastructure for transport is already built, and it is an abundant element that is not difficult to manufacture.
Hydrogen is a clean fuel that will not contaminate the atmosphere when it is used, not contributing to the green house effect. Also, manufacturing of hydrogen does not damage the environment like mining for coal or drilling for oil does.
When will these processes be implemented on a larger scale?

Post due 2/12

American oil dependence has moved beyond an environmental issue, due to the global conflict it creates. This article claims that an Apollo level program is needed to move into hydrogen energy. This would be a game changing decision that would make us energy independent, and much closer environmentally sustainable.
The end of dependence on fossil fuels would dramatically decrease CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, lessening to the greenhouse effect. Also, the environmental damage caused at drill sites would decrease as the demand for more drilling decreases.
Is this entirely feasible with the current economic condition of the United States?

Post due 2/5

Green technology advancement is being hindered by a shortage of rare earth metals. These metals are used to build things such as lithium batteries which would decrease the need for fossil fuels. The increasing demand for exotic metals is creating its own environmental harm.

The mining of rare earth metals is causing harm to the environment as all mining does, even though it is for a green purpose. This nearly counterbalances the positive effect they would have.

Will we be able to find an alternative to rare earth metals?

Post due 1/29

Our current ways of mining and manufacturing are adding mercury pollution to our environment. Mining, steel production, and coal power plants are contributing to this problem. Mercury pollution is especially problematic for humans as it can become toxic due to consumption of fish that contain higher amounts of mercury.
This pollutant is altering normal environmental patterns, and leading to bioaccumulation of a toxin. This will be harmful for any organism higher up in the food chain.
Is it possible to reverse the damage of mercury pollution?

Post Due 1/22

The Yellow River, a water source for 150 million people, has been contaminated by China's refining processes. Chemicals have leaked into the river over the span of twenty years. Also, in south China, many places have been illegally strip mined, adding to the countries pollution.

The pollution of the Yellow River will have adverse effects on the environments it serves. These effects will almost surely decrease ecosystem function.

Will China be able to revers the damage that has been done to the Yellow River?

Post Due 1/15

The salinization of rivers is becoming an increasingly problematic issue. Not only does it increase economic and environmental cost, but it hurts global health. Human activities such as mining are increasing salt concentrations, along with global warming.
The increased salinization of rivers will disrupt current food webs as it harms many species that depend on the water. This disruption will hurt ecosystem function.
Can the increased salinization of rivers be reversed?

Article due 12/11

DDT is a dangerous pesticide that kills and repels mosquitos more effectively than any other known substance. This chemical was used widely in the developing world to prevent malaria, a disease that not only kills the populations of these areas, but the economies, but has been stopped due to pressures from the developed world. The developed world wants use of DDT to stop because it is a chemical that takes years to decompose, and it bioaccumulates in humans, which could be dangerous.
The continued use of DDT would hurt the environment as it is a pesticide that would accumulate in animals, leading to deaths. Also, the discontinued use of DDT would increase the mosquito population, increasing the cases worldwide of malaria.
Should use be stopped now or should developing countries use DDT?

Post due 12/4

In India alone, 140 million people drink water that is contaminated with pollutants, despite measures to improve water quality. Sarvajal is a company that is trying to tackle this problem with water ATMs, created with sensory equipment and cloud technology. This invention not only provides clean water to many rural areas, but allows for the women and children who used to spend their time only retrieving water may now divert their attentions.
The still growing population of India will begin to stress the water supply beyond capacity, creating a detriment to the region as the water table will fall. The fall of the water table will not only hurt the human populations of the area, but all natural habitats as well.
Will the improvement of water in India be enough to halt over use of the area's resources?

Blog Post 11/27

        The growing human population is creating a need for resources that may not be available in the next century. The demand for food will double by 2050, and triple by 2100, which is not sustainable. Also, water will be scarce as it is wasted on creating luxury products, 2,700 liters for a bar of chocolate.
        The growth of the human population will negatively impact the environment as the destruction of natural habitats will increase dramatically, creating a loss of biodiversity. Also, with the destruction of habitat will come a loss of ecosystem function, hurting our already scarce resources.
Will population growth slow down in time to achieve sustainability? Will I have to do blog posts over winter break?

Article for 11/20

The quality of a banana that consumers love- consistency- is the genetic downfall of the fruit. The plantations that currently provide North America and Europe with their favorite fruit are at risk of disease, the cavendish is being wiped out by the panama fungus. Scientists are trying to create a genetically modified fruit that resists the disease and plantations in central america are trying to breed a consumer welcome replacement.
This circumstance exemplifies the idea that low genetic diversity may leads to a species being unresistant to disease. The loss of these plants would also effect their ecosystems, as they provide shade to growing plants underneath them.
Would a genetically modified plant serve the same function in the ecosystem?

Article 11/13

Euryodendron excelsum is a very rare species of tree, less than 200 individuals, that lives in Southeastern China. China's industrial nature creates a constant threat to the plant, land clearing and wood cutting are constant threats. Previous research into saving this tree have focused on biological and ecological aspects of endangerment, but a new study by Yunnan University focuses on the microbes living around the tree's roots. 

The study of microbes relates to environmental science as understanding the microscopic aspects of an ecosystem will allow for a greater understanding of its function as a whole. Also, a better understanding of microbes will allow for greater accuracy when trying to rebuild lost habitat. 

When recreating lost habitat, would any microbe of a similar ecosystem if brought in would improve ecosystem function? 

Article 11/6

A few Filipino marines have been living on a wrecked ship in the Southern Pacific Ocean in order to maintain their hold on the area. China has been flooding the area with ships trying to obtain full ownership of the fishery and oil. The men on the ship are struggling to survive, and are constantly watched by a rotation of Chinese ships.

The shift of ownership to the Chinese would affect the ecosystem of the fisheries as they would be greatly harvested. This reduction of the fish population would reduce the function of the ecosystem as a whole. 

Would the placement of oil rigs in the area have a greater or lesser affect on the fish population than would over harvesting?

Article 10/22

The current culmination of human effect and climate change is a greatly amplified version of the events that caused extinctions of large mammals such as the wooly mammoth in the Pleistocene era. Current calculations, using the modest estimate of 10 million species in the world, predict that 1 million species are at risk for extinctions due to changing conditions. Currently, the world's biologically unique environments have lost 70% of their high quality habitat.
These extinctions relation to environmental science for many reasons. Primarily, the loss of species will directly effect their environments because food sources and/or predators will be lost, causing shifts in food webs and balances. Also, the synergy effect may take place and add the changing climate, human impacts, and species loss into an even greater change than expected, creating massive shifts within the environment.
Is there any way to reverse the effects of species loss once they have occurred?