Second Post For the First Nine Weeks Due (10/4/2013)

[Mr. Dove]

Please respond to this topic post to complete your first post for the first nine weeks. PLEASE RESPOND TO ONLY THIS POST by clicking the reply arrow to the right. If you wish to appropriately comment on your classmates post then respond to their thread in this discussion. 

[Alanna Breeden]

A. Environment, pollution, human health.

B.This article pertains to the struggles the Japanese government is having with cleaning up the nuclear accident at Fukushima. The crew supplied by Tepco, is having a hard time clearing the topsoil from the surrounding land due to disorganization, and rainfall that makes contaminated topsoil slide from the hills onto the cleared land. This nuclear accident happened in 2011 and is still not fully cleaned up. The Japanese government is now debating risky and expensive ways to contain contamination. Contamination is being leaked from hastily built tanks trying to control contaminated water from cooling the reactors. They are considering a mile-long subterranean wall of ground frozen by liquid coolant and burying it in concrete, though the water underneath would still be contaminated and leaking. The people of Japan, especially the residents of the nuclear accident, are doubtful that this can be controlled and fixed by the government. Even so, they say they will probably not move back.

C. I chose this article because it seemed really interesting and concerning. I had known there was a nuclear accident in Japan, but I didn't know it had been two years ago, I thought it was more recently. Upon reading the article, I was surprised to find that they had contaminated water leaks and haven’t done anything about them. Japan is an island, so obviously contaminated water would flow directly into the ocean, polluting the water and affecting the ecosystems in it, especially the fishing business. I would have gotten larger and more skilled crews in to work and clean up the site. I think that this is an important article, because it is necessary for the world to know what is happening, and that the people are expecting more.

D. Fackler, Martin. “Errors Cast Doubt on Japan’s Cleanup of Nuclear Accident Site.” NY Times September 3, 2013

[Caroline Firer]

A) Sustainable use of natural resources

 

B) Skidmore, OWings & Merrill is a construction company in Chicago that has built and organized many massive skyscrapers around the United States, including the new World Trade Center. They have recently conducted a study where potentially they could make a good sized 42- story building with wood. Now this just isn't any regular wood, it would be mass timber columns and thick slabs that are laminated in place of the regular steel or concrete. These wood skyscrapers (wapers as id like to call them) would house the growing population of many areas while reducing the areas carbon footprint. Regular buildings made out of steel and concrete produce a large amount of green house gas carbon dioxide and with these "wapers" they would be able to hold the carbon from the CO2 in the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Although a few concerns have been raised as too "fire-proofing" these wafers but advocates for wooden buildings assure us that any mass timber project would take almost days to burn down due to the char that would form and allow the fire to burn slowly if one were to happen. Also another concern would be the effect it had on the local forests, where in the U.S. and Canada around 60 billion board of feet in lumber was gathered each year. And as long as we keep our forests under inspection and sustainable we shouldn't have any more impact than we already do. Also. millions of fir tree forests in North America have been killed by beetle infestation, these infested forest lay a useful purpose as to produce the timber panels.

 

C) I chose this article because it was submitted today to the New York Times and I had no idea that one could even make an apartment building out of wood. (In the article it states that a successful ten story wooden housing building was built in Australia in 2009) I think its a great idea that this big construction company is branching out and getting more involved in trying to be as sustainable as they can. I learned that wood is able to take out the carbon in the atmosphere and it make me appreciate that my house is made out of wood itself. All other major contracting and building companies would benefit from reading this article because if they see a big renowned company like Skidmore, Owings & Merrill looking into being sustainable and building "wapers" they would consider it as well. Since we are a rapidly growing population it is important for everyone (even kids my age) to be aware of how we can make our new housing developments more sustainable since we as a whole population are taking from the earth faster than it can sustain us. It is up to us to show our appreciate the best we can, and my erecting "wapers" everywhere we can slowly make that happen.

 

D) Henry Fountain, . n.d., n. pag. <http://www.citationmachine.net/index2.php?mode=form&nameCnt=1&minimode=isbn&reqstyleid=1&isbn=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/science/appeal-of-timber-high-rises-widens.html?ref=earth&_r=0>.

[Shannon Simko]

A. Sustainable use of Natural Resources

 

B. This article focuses on how Central Asia is struggling more than ever from the climate change. The natural resources such as pastures, forests and wildlife are in major scarceness for this region. A program called the GIZ is in efforts of improving Central Asia's current conditions. It's objective is to manage all natural resources in a more sustainable way than before.

 

C. I enjoyed reading this article because this was so recent and is still going on now. It made me realize that other places around the world will struggle with resource use and something has to be done about it. Which is exactly what Central Asia did with the GIZ. I want to find out what America is doing for conversation and how we are acting on using of resources in a better way than we are now.

 

D. Programme for the sustainable use of natural resources in Central Asia 
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
http://www.giz.de/themen/en/13434.htm

[Sebastian Glickman]

A. Environment, Pollution & Human Health

B. The video is about a phone that has detachable pieces so instead of throwing away an older phone people can just upgrade the specific pieces they want upgraded. If someone wanted their phone to have a better battery and they didn't care for the camera they could attach a bigger battery to their phone and get a smaller camera or get rid of the camera completely. It would help with the amount of waste that old phones create. Affluenza makes people think they need the new thing just because it's new. People will buy a new phone just months after their most recent phone just so they can have the newest version. A lot of people end up throwing their old phones away and that is why electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world.affluenza

C. I chose this video because I can relate to it and I know a lot of people who can relate to it. I have found myself buying new phones because it's the newest model even if the only new thing about it is the camera. Having the newest model somehow gets to us and we think we have to have it. I really enjoyed this video because it makes a lot of sense. If they can make a phone that is not so squared-off they might be able to pull it off. The whole concept is fascinating. 

D. Dave, Hakkens. N.p.. Web. 3 Oct 2013. <http://www.phonebloks.com/>.

[Zach Lockhart]

Zach Lockhart

 

Emerging Technologies and Sustainable use of natural resources

 

   By 2025, new cars and light trucks will have to be capable of achieving 54.5 mpg. This is a significant improvement to consumers paying for gas and the environment. The ruling was done by the Obama administration last August and the first round of standards are to be accomplished by 2016. This is the first time the US government has set a regulation on cars since 1975. 

            Designing cars to meet these standards will be a challenge. Automakers claim that they will have to make the cars more aerodynamic in order to reduce drag. They will implement hybrid technology to reduce the overall fuel needed. Turbocharging will make it possible to have cars with high gas mileage while still maintaining sufficient horsepower. Duel clutch transmissions will reduce weight. Improving power steering, electric motors, and tires are all also on the agenda.

         The goal of the project is mainly to reduce greenhouse emissions. Other reasons are for the economy. A family buying a new car could expect to spend $8,000 less for fuel throughout the cars lifetime.

 

         I chose this article because I am a car enthusiast. A great dream of mine would be able to own several exotic sports cars throughout my lifetime. With the new fuel regulations, I fear that cars of the future will lack power and performance. As a driver who floors it at every green light, the thought of only have 120 horses under my foot scares me. It is good to know that companies like Porsche are promising high gas mileage in there cars while still having loads of power. The new hybrid Porsche 918 gets an estimated 90mpg and has 887 horsepower. That’s more than enough for me. 

[Zach Lockhart]

Sources: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=porsche+918+gas+mileage&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[Henry Warrick]

1. Natural Hazards

2.The flooding in Colorado has left thousands of people without homes and caused many oil spills. Property losses for residents are looking to be around $2.5 billion. The floodings have left many small towns, including Lyons, Colorado, in distraught. The flooding has confirmed killed 10 people statewide but the damages to property and land  are overbearing. Lyons, isn't expected to fully recover for about 6 months. The flooding was so immense that it hit several oil fields and now there have been 43,000 gallons spilled into the flood waters, which takes a major toll on the environment and nature.

3. I chose this article because I have been interested in the Natural disasters happening on the west coast. From wildfires to flooding, the west coast can't catch a break and there isn't anone to blame but the people. The natural hazards that keep occurring are living proof that global warming is occurring. Experts have said that the recent occurrences are due to massive climate change and if the people know nothing about what's going on, there will be no additional precautions taken the next time.

4.Gil Aeteger, . N.p.. Web. 4 Oct 2013. <http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/20/20606351-colorado-town-unlivable-for-months-after-flooding-residents-are-told?lite>.

[Ryan Jacobson]

A) The theme of this article involves the climate system, environment, and human health.

B) This article is about the increase in mercury in fish. With the climate change being a huge concern, human's have to worry about the toxicity levels in the fish they consume. The Mercury is emitted from power plants, and settles into the ocean. Then bacteria absorbs it, and then the mercury makes its way up the food chain. 

C) This article stood out to me because it doesn't just effect the environment itself, it effects us humans as well. The way the mercury makes its way up the food chain, is similar to the way energy makes its way up the biomass pyramids, which I thought was pretty interesting. Another reason this is pretty important is because fish are an important food source for humans. If they are majorly affected by this mercury then we might have to discard certain meats, and fisherman could also be out of business, if they have no one reason to fish anymore. 

D)  ENN, Editor. "Climate Change May Increase Mercury Content in Fish." Wildlife and Habitat Conservation News: Climate Change May Increase Mercury Content in Fish. ENN: Environmental News Network, 04 Oct. 2013. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.

[Abby Lipscomb]

Abby Lipscomb

A. Natural Hazards

B. One of the biggest natural hazards in our country are hurricanes. Almost one year ago hurricane Sandy hit over a dozen states over a one week period. It lead to over a billion dollars of destruction. It was so big it resulted in federal declaration in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and New Hampshire. Even though it was a catagory 1 hurricane its size is what did the damage.

C. I chose this article because I remember this tragic disaster but I didn't know much about it. It effected everyone in the united states through either knowing someone in the disaster, being in the disaster, or seeing it on tv. Knowing about natural disasters will help prepare you and just know about whats going on around you.

D. http://geography.about.com/od/hazardsanddisasters/a/The-Geography-Of-Hurricane-Sandy.htm    

[Sarah Hale]

A. Global Warming

B. The world's oceans are under a trio of three different threats. These include global warming, declining oxygen levels and acidification. Unfortunately, we have underestimated the impact that these threats may impose upon the ocean. Already, the ocean has begun to warm up and it's possible that some marine species may die out because of it. They're warming up due to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The excess carbon dioxide can react with the salty ocean water and cause a "weak acid", in turn effecting sea life. This proposes a general threat to extinctions amongst different sea organisms. This could affect the growth of corals and assorted plants, which in turn could have a negative effect on the entire ocean ecosystem.

C. I chose this article because it reminded me of the Biogeochemical cycles we recently studied in class, and it was interesting. I don't think enough people realize how important and special the ocean actually is, and how much harm we could potentially be doing to it. It's a very crucial article for people to read because in order to actually save the ocean and prevent pollution, people have to be informed of the impact they themselves are having on it. 

D. "Oceans Face 'deadly Trio' of Threats, Study Says." NewsDaily:. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.

[Lauren Cosner]

A. Environment, pollution and human health

B. In this article written by the New York Times, the idea of setting restictions to prevent future pollution from getting worse is addressed. With China suffering with some of the worst air pollution in the world, the effort to protect the environment has become a greater focus. With regulations set, not many of the laws are strongly enforced. With the new plan that is currently being discussed, the concentrations of fine particulate matter must be reduced by 25 percent in the Beijing-Tianjian-Hebei area in the north, 20 percent in the Yangtze River Delta in the east and 15 percent in the Pearl River Delta in the south, compared with 2012 levels. The plan also addresses taking out the high polluting vehicles. This articles focuses on what China will have to do in the future to protect the human health of the people.

C. I chose this article because I found it scary that there is a place in the world where citizens have to wear a mask just to ensure the air they breathe won't kill them. This article affected me, by making me think of ways that America compares. Although the air pollution is not as bad, in the future with the amount of people and the number of cars the pollution may rise to a dangerous level. If I were in this situation, I would do my best to help the government push the law to protect its citizens. I enjoyed reading this article because I feel that I am more informed with what is going on in the world around me and I enjoy keeping up with current world issues. The main group that could benefit from this article would be the people that use the high pollution cars or that work in the coal plants. It's important for people to know the effect they have on the environment to further their understanding of what's going on. Kids my age may enjoy this article and enjoy staying up to date on current issues.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/world/asia/china-releases-plan-to-reduce-air-pollution.html?_r=0

[Kaona Ayres]

Kaona Ayres

Warmer Oceans Could Raise Mercury Levels in Fish

A) Environment, pollution & human health

B) Mercury pollution in the air from industrial means builds up in streams and oceans and is accumulating in marine life forms, most noticeably fish. This can be dangerous for those who eat seafood and poses health issues for consumers.

C) I honestly had no clue that our waters could absorb industrial waste and pollution in such a manner and that it could eventually come back in other ways to harm us. When pollution begans to affect our food source it is past time to create a solution and cut back on the waste. I chose this article because it introduced new information to me, something that I never even knew posed a problem.  

Dijkstra, jennifer. n. page. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131003162953.htm>

[Wade Goodrich]

A) Emerging Technology.

B) Scotland plans to ban cars powered by internal combustion engines, at least within its major cities. This seems like a major change, but it would be slowly phased in between now and 2050. Scotland's government-owned fossil fuel powered cars are currently being switched out for electric models, and 5000 British Pound incentives are available to when purchasing an electric automobile. 

C) Even though Scotland is realistically nowhere near banning gasoline cars, and even though this is likely just an announcement meant to grab the world's attention, it is still another major step in the right direction. The government incentives are very important, as electric vehicles currently cost considerably more than their fossil fueled counterparts. If enough people buy electric vehicles because of the government incentives, the price of alternative fuel cars will eventually go down, as electricity becomes less of an alternative and more of a main stream fuel for cars. As time goes on and the price of electric vehicles is reduced and the reliability of them is proven (or improved), more and more people will be able to do their part is helping to stop the burning of fossil fuels (at least by automobiles). 

D)"Scottish government to ban petrol and diesel cars from city centres" 

Environmental News Network

 http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/46422

[Hannah Bingler]

A. Climate change

B. According to a study in Japan apples now compared to thirty years ago are much sweeter and softer thanks to global warming. A study done by fruit-tree specialist Toshihiko Sugiura and his team from the National Agriculture and Food research organization in Tsukuba, Japan. His teams analyzed four decades worth of data collected from two types of apples, Fuji and Tsugaru, what they found was that the hardness and acidity of apples had decreased over time. They are currently using the findings to bread new varieties of fruit that can better with stand climate change.

C. I think that this study is very interesting. I feel like it should be a sign that global warming is out of control when our food begins to be affected by it. Especially in such a short time, although 30 years doesn't sound to short, in the scheme of how old the earth is its pretty alarming that they have changed that quickly in 30 years.

D.  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=climate-change-threatens-crunchy-tart-apples

[Mary Elam]

Mary Elam

A. Intentional Pollution

B. 81 elephants in Zimbabwe were poisoned by poachers injecting cyanide into the water holes in order to obtain their ivory tusks. More than 40 elephant skeletal remains were discovered. Elephants were not the only animals that were killed by consuming the poison- other smaller animals were poisoned as well, which led to the death of multiple vultures who were feeding off of the carcasses. Although the 9 poachers were arrested, this means there are 81 less elephants in the world, an already endangered species. Poaching has been the primary cause of endangering different types of animals and continues to present itself as a never-ending problem. If this type of poaching continues, how much longer will it take for elephants to become extinct? 

C. I chose this article because elephants have always been one of my favorite animals and poaching has always been a topic of interest to me and how quickly a specific species can become endangered. I decided to find outside information rather than the article itself and found that nearly half of Africa's elephants were killed in 1979 and 1989 for their ivory tusks, starting at about 1.3 million and ending up at 600,000. Back during that period, that would mean about 8 elephants were killed by poaching in just one hour. There are only, approximately, 650,000 elephants left on Earth. If cyanide water contamination died off 81 elephants per day, the elephant species would be extinct in about 21 years. I decided to do the math in order to really get an understanding of the severity of this type of poaching. 

D. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/world/africa/zimbabwe-81-elephants-killed.html?ref=earth&_r=0, http://www.elephant.se/How_many_elephants_are_left_on_earth.php

[taylor burley]

         Diesel Exhaust Stops Honeybees from Finding the Flowers They Want to Forage

 A. Pollution

 

B. With all of the pollution from diesel fuels, it's messing up the pollination for Honeybees. The diesel fuels are either covering or getting rid of completely the fumes from the flowers, and the Honeybees are not able to follow the scent. This problem, if it doesn't get fixed can seriously effect the number of Honeybees and the pollination activity. If the nitrogen dioxide doesn't decrease or go away completely, not only will the Honeybee numbers go down, but alot of flowers won't be around either because most rely on the pollination of Honeybees.

 

C. I thought this was scary and a big issue because these bees are apart of our nature and other things rely on them. If the diesel fumes don't go down or away it could eliminate Honeybees altogether, and most of our plants now will die without their pollination. It's a big current issue. With things like this, we are slowly but surely distroying our environment.

 

D. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131003093035.htm

 

[Zach Lazen]

A) Biodiversity in severe conditions

B) In the Western Desert in Australia, there has been an increase in the sand monitor lizard population. The strange thing about this is there has also been an increase in Aboriginal hunting. A study was conducted by Doug Bird, an ecological anthropologist at Stanford University in California to find out what was happening with this counter-intuitive phenomena. Bird burned vegetation with the Martu tribe over the course of 350 foraging trips in the past decade. After the burning they found that the vegetation would regrow and create an increased, diverse population through the landscape. "In places where Martu hunting was the heaviest, there were nearly twice as many lizard sites as there were where Martu hunting was the lightest. In places where there were no hunters, lightning-triggered fires spread over vast distances instead of the relatively small patches resulting from Martu burning. This made the landscape less patchy and sand monitor lizards less prevalent."

C) I chose this article because I found it interesting how the idea of human interactions on an ecosystem is fairly skewed compared to common belief. It seems almost unbelievable that the hunting of prey created a denser population of prey than the population of the hunters. Even with the amount of studies and knowledge we know about ecosystems and their relations, there is still many things unknown to us.

D) http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=australian-lizards-thrive-when-humans-hunt-them