Blog Reflection

Organic outputs is makes up that mass of the output of waste that people put as individuals. For what is flushed down the drain or toilet goes to water treatment facilities. In my case sewage is directed towards the West End Pollution Control Center where it goes through primary treatment which involves water and solid matter being separated. This solid matter is called sludge and is sent to the North End Pollution Control Center where it goes through a process called sludge digestion. Here anerobic bacteria is used to break down the organic compounds within the sludge producing which then has any excess liquid removed. This produces about 65% methane and 30% carbon dioxide this combustible gas is used in the boilers which heat the plant. The leftover dry solid material is then applied agricultural land as fertilizer. This greater reduces nutrient loading of nitrogen and phosphorus and recycles it directly back into food crops. It is good to know that my city is making a effort in better system of water treatment and waste management for its citizens. When a municipal government is willing to budget toward more stable practices in shows the people the opportunities of sustainable development.
This marks good way to end the material covered is this course. sewage and waste is the end of the human cycle where our excess goes back into the ecosystem. And with or own material in the world's natural cycles there is no denying the fact that future generations will require the same compounds for their own well being. Since the waste we produce will some how have an effect on the products of the future (particularly food). Such emphasis put on recycling because everything is nothing. None of the products we manufacture never just disappears, it goes somewhere we need to need to understand this basic fundamental especially chemicals such as plastic are a part of this. The difference is that their cycle is impossible to utilize by biotic systems. This means that this once natural product will very slowly degrade always remain in its current state forever never the less they are still a part of a cycle of waste which is also changes the dynamics of the cycles. Since all these cycles are intertwined it is very likely that these manufactured compounds will make their way into the more essential resources. Unatural chemicals of are appearing in the worlds freshwater sources. Chemicals like mercury and PCB's are being found in the great lakes as well as many unknown substances little is known about the long term health affects of these chemicals to people and wildlife. How long they will stay in the environment yet industry is creating knew unknown compounds faster than they are being discovered. If people understand the cycle of matter then their will be a better chance of them being able to create a sustainable and prosperous future.

Citations:
http://members.shaw.ca/gp.lagasse/process_summary.htm
http://waterlife.nfb.ca/
http://www.babelgum.com/118286/edump.html

Picture:
http://www.dacorum.gov.uk/images/waste_hierarchy%20graphic.gif

Waterlife

If the Great Lakes were a country it would be the second largest economy in the world. "The gross rgional product of the great lakes region is $4.2 trillion. The only greater economy is the United States." The Great Lake Basin stand as a true testement to the the economic and lifegiving power that freshwater water has in the world has 20% of the worlds freshwater. Split between 10% of the U.S. population and 30% of the Candian population who call this place home.
With all this pressure for production the great lakes are under sevre pressure from biodiversity loss to high levels of toxic chemicals in drinking water. Awarness is the first step towards solutions and a cross-platform new media project has produced somthing called waterlife.nfb.ca this website produces an interactive and insightful resource of the wide array of issues that face the Great Lakes watershed. As we look through we see that all these problems are intertwined. Chemicals never seen before from industry and agriculture are accumulating in the natural system and the people living within them. The effects though largely unknown since "Scientist are having a difficult time determining the fate of these chemicals... The interst of the corporation be it a goverment orginization or in business come first." There have already 10 Canadian and 5 and US-Canadian AOC (Areas of Concern) and many adverse health effect to native wildlife and people throughout the Great Lakes Region including defrominalities and biomaccumulation in wildlife. The St. Lawrence Beluga is believed to be the most contaminated marine mammels on the planet were one quarter of the adults are dying of cancer. In the area Sarnia Ontario that is exposed to high levels of water and air pollution there has been a girl-baby boom. In the Aamjiwnaag First Nations community twice as many girls are being produced to boys. This is believed to be caused by an endocrine disrubter.
Pollution from residents themselves are also causing tremendous damge from sewage caused by overflows of rainwater and raw sewage which bypass treatment plants and go straight into the water nearby leading to mass eutriphication. It is estimated that 90 billion litres of CSO (combined sewer overflow) is released by 20 cities alone in a single year. Also today one third drink bottled water over tap water but they are disillusined by the fact that they are drinking tapwater anyways. In fact municipal water supplies are inspected on a daily basis when bottled water plants are inspected 3 times a year. This creates a huge amount of plastic going directly into a landfill.
With all these problems becoming apparent communities are pressuring their goverments on a local and national level. The Obama adminsitration has recently allocated $475 million in their 2010 annual budget toward recovery and protection of the Great Lakes. Canada has not yet made such a commitment yet this year. It is essential that Canadians become aware of this great responsibilty which the must acted upon.

Citations and sources from http://waterlife.nfb.ca/
as well as:
-Ada Lockridge, Aamjiwnaag First Nation
-Pamela Martin, Canadian Wildlife Service
-www.inesl.org
-www.ec.gc.ca
-www.polarinstitute.org
-www.insidethebottle.org
-www.ecojustice.ca/media-centre/press-releases

Picture:
http://absolutemichigan.com/

Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services

The significance of Biodiversity especially in the worlds oceans is important. This article describes how human ties to global fisheries are only possible in the future if the fragile biodiversity is restored and maintained. "What is the role of biodiversity of in maintaining the ecosystem services on which a growing human population depends? Recent surveys of terrestrial literature suggest that local species richness may enhance ecosystem productivity and stability. However, the importance of biodiversity changes at the landscape level is less clear, and the lessons from local experiments and theory do not seem to easily extend to long term, large scale management decisions. These issues are particularly enigmatic for the world's oceans, which are geographically large taxonomically complex, making the scaling up from local to global scales potentially more difficult." Part of the solution require better understanding of the three dimensional ocean ecosystem. More experimentation is required to make more effective policies of conservation. "In summary, experimental results indicate robust positive linkages between biodiversity, productivity, and stability across trophic levels in marine ecosystems. Identified mechanisms from the original studies include complementary resource use, positive interactions, and increased selection of highly performing species at high diversity." A few of the issues that the world's ocean's are global warming, affluent runoff from industry, high pressure fishing practices and coastal development. "A mechanism that may explain enhanced recovery at high diversity is that fishers can switch more readily among target species, potentially providing over fished taxa with a chance to recover. Indeed, the number of fished taxa was a log-linear function of species richness was negatively related to the variation in catch from year to year and positively correlated with the total production of catch per year. This increased stability and productivity are likely due to the portfolio effect, whereby a more diverse array of species provides a larger number of ecological functions and economic opportunities over time. This portfolio effect has independently been confirmed by economic studies of multispecies been confirmed by economic studies of multispecies harvesting relationships in marine ecosystems. Linear (or log-linear) relationships indicate steady increases in services up to the highest levels of biodiversity.This means that proportional species losses are predicted to have similar effects at low and high levels of native biodiversity." The writer is optimistic that it is possible for many areas to be rehabilitated back to their full potential. "Community variability, as measured by the coefficient of variation in aggregate fish biomass, was reduced by 21% on average. Finally tourism revenue measured as the relative increase in dive trips within 138 Caribbean protected areas strongly increased after the were established." Summarizing the this summery with this passage. "High diversity systems consistently provided more services with less variability, which has economic and policy implications. First, there is no dichotomy between biodiversity conservation and long term economic development; they must be view as interdependent societal goals. Second, there was no evidence for redundancy at high levels of diversity; the improvement of services was continues on a log-linear scale. Third, the buffering impact of species diversity of ecosystem services generates insurance value that must be incorporated into future economic valuations and management decisions."

Citations:
Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services
by: Boris Worm et al.

Picture:
http://naturalpatriot.org/

Life and Death of the Salt Marsh

This article speaks about the ecological and economic benefits of salt marshes as well as the many issues that conservationist face in their preservation. "Along the eastern coast of North America, from the north were the ice packs grate upon the shore to the tropical mangrove swamps tenaciously holding the land together with a tangle of roots, lies a green ribbon of soft, salty, wet, low lying land, the salt marshes... Unfortunately, in marshes which have been disturbed, dug up, suffocated with loads of trash and fill, poisoned and eroded with the wastes from large cities, there is another smell. Sick marshes smell of hydrogen sulfide, a rotten egg odor. This odor is very faint in a healthy marsh." The writers J & M Teal emphasize on the fact that the deterioration of North America's salt marshes is purely a man made impact. "The dangers to salt marshes stem from human activities, not natural processes. We destroy wetlands and shallow water bottoms directly by dredging, filling, and building. Indirectly we destroy them by pollution. Much of this destruction is simply foolish. The marsh would often had been much more valuable as a marsh than it is in its subsequent desecrated form. The increase in population pressure along the coast will inevitably destroy more and more of the frail marsh estuarine system. We do not propose the preservation of marshes simply for the sake of their preservation. Instead, we regard them in light of their benefit of marshes will accrue to everyone, not only those who venture onto the surface of marshes but to fishermen along the coast and to consumers of fishery products who may live far inland. Some destruction is inevitable. Even for those marshes preserved as wildlife areas, an access must be constructed so that people who want to enjoy these pieces of nature can do so. Roads must be built to the marshes, along the edges of marshes, and to impoundments that are designed for mosquito control and waterfowl hunting. Also, building roads to boat-launching ramps so that the network of creeks and rivers in the wetlands can be enjoyed is not only a convenience but a preservative: damage to the marshes will be less if adequate access is provided from the waterside." This can be extremely difficult since developmental pressures usually outweigh the benefits of preservation in short term. "whatever method is used to preserve marshes, it must include safeguards against the increased pressures to develop because of the ever increasing population. There have been too many cases in which the last land in the town, land reserved for park and playground, has been diverted for industrial use. The diversion occurred because the industry threatened to move to another town or even another state if it were not allowed to secure the land. This sort of corporate blackmail is hard to withstand and will inevitably bring pressures on organizations controlling the marshes. Pressure even comes from the state officials who are trying to encourage industries to come to their area by offering filled marsh for building. The battle between the forces of development and conservation need to be won only once by the developers but must be fought and won every year for conservation to triumph."

Citations:
Life and Death of the Salt Marsh
by: John Teal and Mildred Teal

Picture:
http://saltmarshlife.com/

Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment

This article looks at increasing cancer rates and their links with the environment. Sandra Steingraber emphasizes that cancer research is far to focused on the genetics rather than the environment that an individual is brought up in. "What runs in families does not necessarily run in blood. And our genes are less an inherited set of teacups enclosed in a cellular china cabinet then they are plates used in a busy diner. Cracks, chips, and scrapes accumulate accidents happen." She delves into her own personal family history of how in the year 1974 marked a monumental year in breast cancer cases. "My mother was first diagnosed in 1974, a year that is considered an anomaly in the annals of breast cancer. Graphs displaying U.S. breast cancer incidence rates across the decades show a gently rising line that suddenly zooms skyward, falls back then continues its slow ascent. The story behind the blip of '74 has been deemed a textbook lesson in statistical artifacts. In this year, First Lady Betty Ford and Second Lady Happy Rockefeller both underwent mastectomies. The words breast cancer entered public conversation. Women who might otherwise have delayed routine checkups or might otherwise have delayed routine checkups or who were hesitant to seek medical opinion about a lump were propelled into doctors' offices. The result was that a lot of women were diagnosed with breast cancer within a short period of time, my mother among them." She talks about how scientist are starting to realize how people lacking certain gene sequences are susceptible to different cancers but it is the combination's of the sequences that seem to give a better idea of the different factors contribute to the extent and the chance of it occurring. "What my various file folders do not contain is a considered evaluation of all known and suspected bladder carcinogens-their sources, their possible interactions with each other, their possible interactions with each other, and our various routes of exposure to them... Several obstacles, I believe prevent us from addressing cancer's environmental roots. An obsession with genes and heredity is one." Her she sums up her argument that environments contributes more than most researchers are lead to believe. A shift in focus is needed. Suppose we assume for a moment that the most conservative estimate concerning the proportion of cancer deaths due to environmental causes is absolutely accurate. This estimate, put forth by those who dismiss environmental carcinogens as negligible, is 2 percent. Though others have placed this number far higher, let's assume for the sake of argument that this lowest value is absolutely correct. 2 percent means that 10,940 people in the United States die each year from environmentally caused cancers... It is the annual equivalent of wiping out a small city. It is thirty funerals every day."

Citations:
Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment
by Sandra Steingraber

Picture:
http://www.ewg.org/

At the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima or Why Political Questions Are Not All Economic

This article speaks of the complexities of decision making environmental policies. Between the political and economic values tend to contradict each other."some people have suggested that ideally these should be the same, that all environmental problems are problems in distribution. According to this view, there is an environmental problem only when some resource is not allocated in equitable and efficient ways. This approach to environmental policy is pitched entirely at the level of the consumer. It is his or her values that count, and the measure of these values is the individuals willingness to pay. The problem of justice or fairness in society becomes, then, the problem of distributing goods and services so that more people get more of what they want to buy: a condo on the beach, a snowmobile for the mountains, a tank full of gas, a day of labor. The only values we have, according to this view, are those that a market can price." Mark Sagoff states "In principle, the ultimate measure of environmental quality," as one basic text assures us, "is the value people place on these... services or their willingness to pay." Only those willing to invest in their values will ever be heard, talk is cheap is essentially what he is refers to. "Not all of us simply think that of ourselves simply as consumers. Many of us regard us as citizens as well. We act as citizens to achieve what we think is right or best for the community. The question arises, then, whether what we want for ourselves individually as consumersis consistant with the goals we would set for oursleves collectively as citizens. Would I vote for the sort of things I shop for? Are my preferences as a consumer consistent with my judgements as a citizen?" This may be one reason for so manys dicontent and mistrust in federal goverments since the ethics and economics rarely run paralell. "Shall the courts uphold only those political decisions that can be defended on economic grounds? Shall we allow democracy only the extent that it can be constructed either as a rational response to a market failure or as an attempt to redistribute wealth? Should the courts say that a regualtion is not "feasible" or "reasonable"-terms that occur in the OSHA law-unless it is supported by a cost benefit analysis?". Just filling space with quotes. Sagoff also describes that values are not subjective "The analyst supposes in all such cases that "this is right" and "this is what we ought to do" are equivalent to "I want this" and "this is what I prefer" Value jugdements are beyond critisim if, indeed, they are nothing but expressions of personal preference; they are incorrigible since every person is in the best position to know what he or she wants." Since this a very complicated issue Mark Sagoff talked about value which is worth being quoted as well. "In contrast, consider a Kantian conception of value. The individual, for Kant, is a judge a values, not a mere haver of wants, and the individual judges not for himself or herself merely, but as a member of a relevent community or group. The central idea in a Kantian approach to ethics is that some values are more reasonable than others and therefore have a better claim upon assent of members as such." Sagoff has pointed out that these issue are far from trnasparent and that more vigourous cost-benefit analyisis as well as regualtion. "These distinctions cannot be made out and have no significance within an emotive or pshycological theory of value. To adopt this theory is to imagine society as a market in which individuals trade voluntarily and without coercion. No individual, no belief, no faith has authority over them. To have power to act as a nation we must be able to act, at least at times, on a public philosophy, conviction or fait. We cannot abandon moral function of public law. the antinomianism of cost benefit analysis is not enough."

Citations:
At the Shrine of Our Lady Fatima or Why Political Questions Are Not All not Economic.
by: MArk Sagoff

Picture:
http://www.timescontent.com/

Blog Reflection

Affluenza is a condition that has swept across the wealthy populations. It is highly contagious and it is fueled by the desire for more. It is defined by John de Graaf, David Wann & Thomas H. Naylo as "The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses." & "An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by the pursuit of the American Dream." or "An unsustainable addiction to economic growth." This term combines the two words affluence and influenza to clearly state the word's meaning. Every privileged Canadian has felt the effects of it at one time or another as it is what fuels many industry so vigorously. Living in a society today that bombardeds us with images of something that will make us happier for the right price has no doubt affected us psychologically. The idea is to work harder to buy more which should equal happiness. With this other aspects of life have suffered. Families and friends are becoming more distant as a result of the time spent trying to get ahead. To cure our condition we must get of this hamster wheel of consumption, to value personal interaction more than material goods. Carl Honre "Time is scarce so what do we do? well, we speed up... We try to more and more with less and less time, We turn every moment of every day into a race to the finish line, a finish line that we never reach but a finish line none the less."
My life as a first year student can be stressful especially with the impending exams and deadlines that are waiting for me in the following weeks. Most of my time is spent is studying or looking for something more stimulating to do with the extra time I should be studying. Usually when people become to over burden with work family and other obligations the most attractive solution would be a vacation. As is the case for me when ever I feel over encumbered with the pressures of my present life I escape to the possibilities of future "dream vacation". But as satisfying as that may be it is escape. When I think about the future that is time of the present that could have been more enjoyable or more meaningful to me in the present. Being cheap as I am I do not consume as much as I'd like to think. Though my problem is on the opposite end because I am a bit of a hoarder. I seem to see useless value in something that is just useless to me I don't feel inclined to through something away. This may be side affect of my own affluenza. My biggest issue is that I don't wish to waste. Perhaps to rid myself of this affliction I must give the useful stuff away and through the useless crap away. The one issue with giving something away is that I am spreading affluenza. To give something I don't need to someone else is not exactly my the cure but it would help me. Affluenza is a social illness that requires the will of the ill to get better before the can help others. I believe that the ideals International Slow Movement that Carl Honore spoke about can be as contagious as affluenza itself.

Citations:
Carl Honore praises slowness
Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by John de Graaf, David Wann & Thomas H. Naylo

Picture:
http://financialphilosopher.typepad.com/

Carl Honore praises slowness

Carl Honore talks about today’s fast paced society and that most people need to slow down. There is slow movement in which people are savouring the moment rather than trying to keep up with a tight schedule. "Things that are slow in nature we try to speed up" This is especially true in western society, the will strive for excellence in one aspect of life (longer working hours) risks throwing other aspects by the wayside. "In other cultures time is cyclical its seen as moving in great unhurried circles its always renewing and refreshing itself. While in the west time is linear it is a finite resource you either use it or lose it... "Time is money as Benjamin Franklin once said". This creates a psychological burden on people in which they are constantly trying to speed up. But "there is this global backlash against the idea that tells us that faster is better. and that busier is best... although conventional wisdom tells you that if you slow down your road kill but it turns out the opposite is true." Honore calls this the international slow movement. He provides examples of how certain workplaces across the world work hours are going down for many this means hourly productivity has gone up "countries in Europe notably Nordic Europe have shown that its possible to have a kick ass economy with out having to be a workaholic, Norway, Sweden and Finland have become part of the top six most competitive markets and they work the number of hours that would make the average American weep with envy." This is effective for some but very difficult for certain nations (western society) to implement as they see it as a cultural taboo. Speed is fun its sexy and the adrenaline rush can be intoxicating. "Speed is a metaphysical dimension a way of walling or selves off from more deeper questions, we fill our heads with business with distraction so we don't ask ourselves "am I well?, am I happy?, are my children growing up right?, are politicians making good decisions on my behalf?". Of course slow is not the whole answer there is a bad kind of slow. But there is also such thing as good slow. Carl Honore states that slowing down can greatly enrich life as it lets you savour the moment.

Citations:
Carl Honore praises slowness
www.ted.com

Picture:
http://images.vimeo.com/

Controversy at Love Canal

This article is by Beverly Paigen who was a scientist employed to research the health implications to the residents of Love Canal who's community was built on a toxic waste dump. "In 1942 Hooker Electrochemical Corporation (now Hooker Chemicals and Plastics, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation) began to fill an abandoned canal half-mile long with toxic chemicals from the manufacture of chlorinated hydrocarbons and caustics. More than 21,000 tons of 200 or more chemicals had been deposited in the canal when Niagara Falls Board of Education approached Hooker Chemical about purchasing the site for a school. Hooker claims that it warned the Board of Education that the site was not appropriate for a school. The company says it sold the property for a token $1.00 only when the Broad threatened to take the property by eminent domain. None of the people who were board members at the time are living to confirm or deny the claim, and the minutes of the meetings do not bear out the claim. The deed transferring the property from Hooker to the Board of Education does contain a clause that, Hooker says releases the company from liability." Five years later residents and city officials noted oily mixtures in the topsoil. "As early as 1958 Hooker Chemical and city officials were informed that three children had suffered from chemical burns from exposed wastes on the surface of the canal. The Niagara Falls Health Department and other local officials took no action. This went on unnoticed until 1978 when the EPA and the New York State Department of Health stepped in. "These agencies identified many chemicals in the air of Love Canal homes immediately adjacent to Love Canal." Families closest to the canal where relocated. "In the early fall of 1978 the department announced the preliminary results of these studies; officials assured the Love Canal residents that the neighbourhood was a safe place to live and that the community beyond the homes that had already been evacuated was not at any increased health risk. This announcement was based on data showing that the miscarriage rate in homes beyond the barrier was no higher than elsewhere. The community was not reassured, citing visible seepage through basement walls, chemical odours in homes, and at storm sewer openings as evidence that chemicals migrated beyond the fence. The residents also questioned why certain families living three to four blocks from the canal had multiple miscarriages and other illnesses."
Beverly Paigen did here own research independently and discovered that homes that were built near streams or former swamps "had a threefold increase in miscarriages". This meant that the chemicals had migrated beyond the original boundaries. This was accepted by both parties as a whole but a controversy arose on the degree of the effects. "The two opposing sides in the Love Canal controversy were the community and the New York State Department of Health Department. This was somewhat surprising, since the Health Department had declared the health emergency in the first place. However, when the community turned to the agency they regarded as their ally and protector, they felt the response was inadequate." "In this case the state had much to gain from delay. Since over 600 other hazardous waste site existed in New York, any action taken at Love Canal would set a precedent. Any state official who recommended positive action at Love Canal would have had to justify spending more than the $42,000,000 the state had already allowed for construction to prevent further leakage and relocation of the families living closest to the canal."

Citations:
Controversy at Love Canal by Beverly Paigen

Picture:
http://a.abcnews.com/images/

Restoring Rivers

The article talks about the water shortage in the U.S.A and current restoration practices. "Between 1973 and 1998, U.S. fresh waters and rivers were getting cleaner. But that trend has reversed. If the reverse continues, U.S rivers will be as dirty in 2016 as they were in the mid-1970s. Water quality is not the only problem. In parts of the United States, the extraction of surface water and ground water is so extreme that some major rivers no longer flow to the sea year round, and water shortages in local communities are a reality." Restoration projects are underway all over the country but only "10% of all restoration project records in the database put together by the National River Restoration Science Synthesis (NRRSS) - included any mention of assessment or evaluation. The study concluded that it is currently impossible to use existing databases to determine whether the desired environmental benefits of river restoration are being achieved. Even when monitoring was reported, it typically was an assessment of project implementation, not ecological outcomes." This is troublesome as it makes it difficult to assess who should be held accountable for the ecological degradation of these watersheds. This is especially true because the amount of human development that has been happening near fresh water. "Despite these and many other efforts to minimize the environmental impact of developing the land or extracting natural resources (such as mining),streams and rivers have continued to degrade. The controls have simply not been able to keep up with the rate of development and associated watershed damage. Moreover, many rivers and streams where suffering years before conservation programs were enacted." A study must be conducted to understand restoration projects as a whole.
"There are more than 40 federal programs that fund stream and river restoration projects. Although large scale high profile projects such as those in the Everglades receive a great deal of attention, most projects in the United States are small in spatial extent. The cumulative costs and benefits of the many small restoration projects can be very high, which argues for better coordination." A more homogenous spread in funding is required which takes into account the extent of the damage to individual watersheds.the ser But currently many federal programs that involve river restoration are being cut, not increased... River restoration is a necessity, not al luxury. U.S. citizens depend on services that healthy streams and rivers provide. People from all walks of life are demanding cleaner, restored waterways. Replacing serices that healthy streams and rivers provide with human-made alternatives is extremely expensive, so river restoration is akin to investments such as highways, municipal works, or electric transmission. Congress already commits billions of taxpayer dollars in public infrastructure through the transportation bill or WRDA. It should make similar investments in natural capital."

Citations:
Restoring Rivers by Margaret A. palmer and J. David Allen

Pictures:
http://www.timpalmer.org/

World Comission on Environment and Development

This article goes into depth about sustainable development and what is required for development to be considered sustainable. "Sustainable development is what meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: "The concept of "needs", in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs". "A world in which poverty and equity are endemic will always be prone to ecological and other crisis." The fact that much of the world can't satisfy their basic needs means that they will always value their lives and those of their families above ecological integrity. This requires economic growth in places were there is none. "But growth by itself is not enough. High levels of productive activity and widespread poverty can coexist, and can endanger the environment. Hence societies meet human needs both by increasing productive potential and by ensuring equitable opportunities for all."
Sustainable development also means minimizing the amount of human intervention on the natural systems that supports life on earth. "Economic growth and development obviously involve changes in the physical ecosystem. Every ecosystem everywhere cannot be preserved intact. A forest may be depleted in one part of a watershed and extended elsewhere, which is not a bad thing if the exploitation has been planned and the effects on soil erosion rates, water regimes, and genetic losses have been taken into account." Conservation is also very important because more extinction means less diversity for the future meaning less options.
"In essence, sustainable development is a process of change in which exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations." Individuals need to be persuaded to take sustainable action but that can be difficult so the benefits must be presented, benefits in the short term or present are usually more effective than those in the long term.
"The common theme throughout this strategy is sustainable development is the need to integrate economic and ecological considerations in decision making. They are after all, integrated in the workings of the real world. This will require a change in attitudes and objectives and in institutional arrangements at every level."

Citations:
Towards Sustainable Development by: The World Commission on Environment and Development.

Picture:
http://psysr.files.wordpress.com

Blog Reflection

The following readings and activities were about the food industry. How it was, How it is, and what it may be like in the future. Food is is an element that is essential to life. If we were to stop burning fuel for energy and stopped harvesting materials for shelter we would still survive, (there are some who live in the world today with neither). But without food life would be impossible. As Carol Steel pointed out civilization (urbanism) itself was possible only with agriculture at the center.

Like every other resource given to us as a species we have managed to overuse and destroy food materials and an alarming rate even without the entire population benefiting from it. The affluent western society has expanded and grown out of control. Farmers have been forced from a lifestyle of quality, health and sustainability to a world of quantity, a unsustainable and uncertain future.

I looked at my own diet for the first time in this light. In the last 48 hours everything aside from a few fruits and vegetables were frozen and packaged at one time or another and most likely shipped large distances at one time. Most of the fruits I eat are those grown in California and Florida because they cheapest foods at the store. I drink alot of milk and I eat meat often though not on a daily basis. What I see as more relevant is how disconnected I am from what I eat. Once its gone I forget it was ever there. The only time I think of food is when I'm contemplating what to have next. This blind consuming is habit of the majority of people today especially urban-living people. It has come to the point were everybody is fixated on there own business. It would require an unnecessary amount of time for most to think about what they are actually eating, where it came from, and where the leftovers will end up. When I think about my own diet I realize that my taste for extravagance is an issue. I do not like eating the same thing within a few days this requires more exportation of a wider variety of produce. But I have made it a habit of eating whats on my plate so my waste is usually minimal, I also have the luxury of living in a city surrounded by agriculture so much of my food doesn't have to travel far. I can easily take more action on the problem in buying local, I would greatly reduce my footprint without hindering curious appetite.

Photo:
http://www.liquidmatrix.org/blog/

How Food Shapes Our Cities

Carolyn Steel examines the deep connection of people to food past and present. She describes how city weas shaped around food in pre-industrial times. City markets were the center of urban settlements which was the social fabric of the community. Buying food was back then the opportunity to socialize and network with others throughout the settlement. "Ounce (food) roots in the city are established they very rarely move". Society lived with food at the center food was how humanity is connected to nature. But "after the trains came cars and this marks the end of this process, its the final emancipation of the city from any apparent relationship with nature at all." It meant that meat did not need to be brought in the city but outside and out of society as well as grains and crops could be moved greater distances in less time preventing it from going bad. Before "cities used to be constrained by geography"
The connection with nature and essentially the social fabric that came along with buying food was gone. Now it is possible to drive to the grocery store and buy your food and not talk to anyone but the cashier. The sacred significance of food was lost "we don't value food, we don't trust it instead of trusting it we fear it, and instead of valuing it with throw it away". This has distanced us from nature and is unsustainable "A billion of us are obese and another cant get enough". "It takes 10 calories (of fossil fuel) to produce 1 calorie of food in the western world". "A 3rd of annual grain crop is fed to animals". These are just a few examples that Steel shares about current food produce and eating practices.
Her solution is to somehow put food back into the center of life. More people are needed to think about food on a regular basis be it male or female. She imagines a utopia or "sitopia" as she calls it where all society is once again focused and centralized around food. "sitopia exist as little pockets everywhere the trick is to join them up." The solution the global food crisis will involve a change in the public's opinion toward food. "We know we are what we eat we need to realize that the world is also what we eat."

Citations: www.ted.com
by Carolyn Steel

Picture:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/

Women's Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation

Vandana Shiva suggests that ecological exploitation is linked to female exploitation. She describes how "Women as farmers, have remained invisible despite their contribution. Economists tend to discount woman's work as "production" because it falls outside the so-called "production boundary". These omissions arise not because to few women work, but too many women do too much work of too many different kinds." Because the work done by women of rural communities cannot be measured in wages their contribution is usually overlooked. It is in the variety of contributions of women that makes them "custodians of biodiversity". "There are a number of crucial ways in which the Third World woman's relationship to biodiversity differs from corporate man's relationship to biodiversity. Women produce through biodiversity, whereas corporate scientists produce through uniformity. For women farmers, biodiversity has intrinsic value-for global seed and agribusiness corporations, biodiversity derives its value as "raw material" for the biotechnology industry. For women farmers the essence of the seed is the continuity of life. For multinational corporations, the value of the seed lies in the discontinuity of its life. Seed corporations deliberately breed seeds that cannot give rise to future generations so that farmers are transformed from seed custodians into seed consumers." "Patents on seeds are thus a twenty-first century form of piracy, through which the shared heritage and custody of third world women peasants is robbed and depleted by multinational corporations, helped by global institutions like GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade)." Though GMOs have not yet been proved unsafe Shiva states that the same groups who we are supposed to trust with GMO food are the same companies that gave us pesticides in our food. As Jack Kloppenberg has recently said, "Having been recognized as wolves, the industrial semioticians want to redefine themselves as sheep, and green sheep at that."

Citations:
Women's Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity Conversation.
by: Vandana Shiva

Photo:
http://sdaenvironmentalism.files.wordpress.com/

The Agricultural Crisis as a Crisis of Culture

Wendell Berry examines the cultural shift of small family farming to large industrialized agriculture. Farming communities are being reduced in size to make room for the crops of big business. The desire for greater efficiency and production has replaced workmanship pride and the culture that came with it. Before this most food produced was raised by the families themselves or as a collaborative effort of the entire community. When modern mechanized farming techniques profits became greater due to technological advances the benefits became more centralized to those who exploited it the most. "I remember, during the fifties, the outrage with which our political leaders spoke of the forced removal of the populations of villages in communist countries. I also remember that at the same time, in Washington, the word on farming was "Get big or get out" -a policy which is still in effect and which has taken an enormous toll. The only difference is that of method: the fore used by the communists was military; with us, it has been economic- a "free market" in which the freest were the richest. The attitudes are equally cruel, and I believe that results will prove equally damaging, not just to the concerns of human value and spirit, but to the practicalities of survival.. And this community killing agriculture, with its monomia of bigness, is not primarily the work of farmers, though it has burgeoned on their weaknesses. It is experts, the bureaucrats, and the "agribuisnessmen," who have promoted so-called efficiency at the expense of community (and of real efficiency), and quantity at the expense of quality." This has shifted the decision making from local farmers to agri-corporations with a personal agenda which is to maximize production and efficiency rather then supply a healthy sustainable communities of the work force. What is lost the is the quality that had been valued so greatly by the previous system, now disregarded more and more by the general public. This is causing catastrophic health and environmental damge as well as a destroying a type of culture that lay the foundation to civilization, the farmer's culture.

Citations:
The Agricultural Crisis as a Crisis of Culture
by Wendell Berry

Photo:
http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/

Environmental, Energetic, and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems

This article explains the sustainable benefits to organic farming."The estimated environmental and health care costs of pesticide use at recommended levels and health care costs of pesticide use at recommended levels in the United States run about $12 billion every year." This is mostly attributed to runoff from ground water in lakes and streams used for irrigation as well as drinking water. Because of the health and environmental concerns attributed to pesticide use on cropland there has been a push toward pesticide free farming or organic farming. "The aim of organic agriculture is to augment ecological processes that foster plant nutrition yet conserve soil and water resources. Organic systems eliminate agrochemicals and reduce other external inputs to improve the environment and farm economics."
"From 1981 through 2002, field investigations were conducted at the Rodale Institute FST in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, on 6.1 ha. The soil at the study site is a moderately well-drained Comly silt loam. The growing climate is sub humid temperature." The field was divided into three equal plots one with "The conventional cropping system", based on synthetic fertilizer and herbicide use, represented a typical cash grain, row crop farming unit and used simple 5-year crop rotation (corn, corn, soybeans, corn, soybeans) that reflects commercial conventional operations in the regions throughout the Midwest." Another third was organic "animal-based cropping". "This system represented a typical livestock operation in which grain crops were grown for animal feed not cash sale... Aged cattle manure served as nitrogen source and was applied at a rate of 5.6 metric tons (t) per ha (dry), 2 years out of every 5, immediately before plowing soil for corn." The third and last plot consisted of "organic legume-based cropping". "This system represented a cash grain operation, without livestock. Like the conventional system, it produced a cash grain crop every year; however, it used no commercial synthetic fertilizers, relying instead on nitrogen-fixing green manure crops as a nitrogen source." The results showed a greater amount of carbon retention within the soil in organic methods than conventional. Less fossil fuel was also used during organic farming then conventional. "Except for the 1999 drought year, the crop yields for corn and soybeans were similar in the organic animal, organic legume, and conventional farming systems." "Two primary problems with the organic system... were nitrogen deficiency and weed competition." The nitrogen deficiency was solved with legume crop cover and because organic farming is limited to biological and mechanical deterrents pest control must be handled based on geographic location. The article describes that organic farming not only provides a sustainable solution but a beneficial one as well "although labor inputs average about 15% higher in organic farming systems (ranging from 7% to 75% higher), they are more evenly distributed over the year in organic farming systems then in conventional farming systems."

Citations:
Environmental, Energetic, and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems.
by: David Pimentel et al.

Photo:
http://uwstudentweb.uwyo.edu/

Food Scarcity: An Environmental Wakeup Call

This article speaks upon the environmental crisis of food and water scarcity. These two factors will be were environmental deterioration and economic decline will become parallel in the years to come. Overpopulation is increasing the pressures on the cropland and aquifers. This increases soil erosion and leads less productivity the following years causing food shortages and political instability. The world population is expanding by 80 million people a year. "Even without further environmental degradation, we approach the new millennium with 800 million hungry and malnourished people." With more people becoming more affluent "the amount of cropland available to produce grain will continue to decline, shrinking to 0.08 hectares per person in 2030."
The same can be said for water because it is so crucial to agriculture "since 1979, the growth in irrigation has fallen behind that of population, shrinking the irrigated area per person by some 7%. This trend, now well established, will undoubtedly continue as the demand for water presses ever more tightly against available supplies." More water is also being used for non-food purposes further increasing the drop. "As water is pulled away from agriculture, production often drops, forcing the country to import grain. Importing a ton of grain is, in effect, importing thousands of tons of water. For countries with water shortages, importing grain is the most efficient way to import water."
During the late spring and early summer of 1996 world wheat and corn prices set highs under pressure from a 1995 harvest reduced by heat waves in the U.S. Corn Belt and from China's emergence as the world's second-largest grain importer. Wheat traded at over $7 a bushel, more than double the price in early 1995. In mid-July, corn traded at an all-time high of $5.54 a bushel, also double the level of a year earlier." This increase is catastrophic for the worlds poor. These increases will likely be what forces the world to take more sustainable but desperate action.

Citations: Food Scarcity: An Environmental Wakeup Call
by Lester Brown

Picture:
http://www.inkcinct.com.au/web/cartoons/2007/2007-627P-water-price-scale.jpg

Blog Reflection

The following articles where compiled to give a better appreciation of environmental ethics. The environmental movement has been a huge influence for my entire life. The sheer pleasure that I receive from the experiences and endless amount of surprises that come from the natural world around me is one a passion that has been with me since infancy through adolescence and finally here now the beginning of my "adult life". I had the privilage of growing up in a "middle of nowhere" town in the central interior of British Columbia. My parents being outdoorsy people themselves took advantage of exceptionally large backyard. A 45 minute drive in any direction would land you in true wilderness this was my childhood and I wouldn't have it any other way. That is why I'm here writing this reflection because this issue is a personal one. I hope I can one day solve some of the many problems that humanity has to fix.
"As Leopold described Individual thinkers since the days of Ezekiel and Isaiah have asserted that the despoliation of land is not only expedient but wrong. Society however, has not yet affirmed their belief." This couldn't be more true of the current situation. Though as an individual I have realized this exploitation of earths resources is unjust. But when considering the environment, society sees it necessary to take and keep whatever we need and throw whatever else back without any thought to what the implications may be. I cannot state this without rightly stating that I as a member of society and a part of this degradation. But my lifestyle which can easily be considered affluent by more than 80% of the global population standards has helped me grow and develop into a happy healthy human being. This is what everybody wants in one form or another a popular dream nowadays is a big house with a nice car. Can I really try and deny them what I already take for granted? I still have trouble with this concept. So what am I to do? There are many other young people who have the same predicament. We being the future leaders need fuel a set of morals which are to be acted upon. Begin by taking the easy steps of reducing your own GHG emissions and waste in any way possible. Of course the bigger the better when doing your share because someone will take notice and join your cause. This can is what is called the snowball effect. Almost every monumental change in public thinking has been achieved through this process. It begins with the individual who takes one the step further against the status quo, They starts the rolling a tiny chunk of snow. Smaall at first others begin notice and join in the cause, the snowball expands and picks up velocity. Then groups of people follow and join the movement, the snow ball grows and grows and accelerating all the time. Environmental ethics or lack of will decide the future of this climate crisis. It is time people begin to take it personally and get the ball rolling.

By:
Phil Gray

Citations:
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leoplold

Picture:
http://www.freestateproject.org

Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the climate crisis is being caused by to many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The main three contributors being carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. "The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a pre-industrial value of about 280 ppm to 379 ppm in 2005." The main carbon emitter is a result of worldwide fossil fuel use in vehicles and industry. "The global atmospheric concentration of methane has increased from a pre-industrial value of about 715 ppb to 1732 ppb in the early 1990s, consistent with total emissions (sum of anthropogenic and natural sources) being nearly constant during this period. It is very likely that the observed increase in methane concentration is due to anthropogenic activities, predominately agriculture and fossil fuel use, but relative contributions from different source types are not well determined." "The global atmospheric nitrous oxide concentration increased from a pre-industrial value of about 270 ppb to 319 ppb in 2005. The growth rate has been approximately constant since 1980. More than a third of all nitrous oxide emissions are anthropogenic and are primarily due to agriculture." These increases have created dramatic changes in the climate already which could accelerate over time. According to the Third Assessment Report (TAR) "leading to very high confidence that the globally averaged net effect of human activities since 1750 has been one of warming, with a radiative forcing of +1.6[+0.6 to +2.4] W m-2." The highest temperatures ever recorded have been within the last 12 years. This contributes to increased sea level due to melting of glaciers and ice caps. "At continental, regional, and ocean basin scales, numerous long-term changes in climate have been observed. These include changes in arctic temperatures and ice, widespread changes in precipitation amounts, ocean salinity, wind patterns and aspects of extreme weather including droughts, heavy precipitation, heat waves and the intensity of tropical cyclones." "It is not a projection but defined as the global average surface warming following a doubling of carbon dioxide concentrations. It is likely to be in the range 2 to 4.5 C with a best estimate of about 3 C, and it is very unlikely to be less than 1.5 C." This is the bare facts without any fluffing up aside from the quotations added for to give a summary of the article the majority is scientific data and possible scenarios on how the public will react.

Citations:
Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis by: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Picture:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2159/2047910540_ca4fbc969d_o.jpg

Reinventing th Energy System

This article is about the future and what it may look like based on what has happened so far. The author looks back to 1893 when the American Press Association gathered the country's "best minds" to give their prediction of the world 100 years from then(now). Coal was expected to be the dominant energy source and that "electricity would be universal." This was accurate for the most part but they never predicted the shortage of oil that today's economy is now experiencing. "Nor did they foresee that oil and other fossil fuels would one day be used on such a scale as to raise water levels, disrupt ecosystems, or increase the intensity of heat waves, droughts, and floods."
They author explains that fossil fuels which fueled the industrial revolution will soon no longer be able to sustain this new global economy. A new energy source will become the new foundation of civilization. "The next century may be as profoundly shaped by the move away from fossil fuels as this century was marked by the move toward them."
Breakthroughs in chemistry technological science will also have a profound effect the energy of tomorrow. More efficient environmentally friendly products which require operated by the forerunners of the booming nanotechnology industry. A planet with a more decentralized energy world energy economy "will require a breakthrough not so much in science or technology as in values and lifestyles."

Citations:
Reinventing the Energy System. by Christopher Flavin and Seth Dunn

Picture:
http://conceptsustainable.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/0808_efficiency.jpg

More Profit With Less Carbon

Lovins explains how the switch to renewable energy sources would be more beneficial by an economic standpoint than continuing the excessive use of fossil fuels for energy. He provides an impressive list of companies which profited greatly from instilling lower energy consumption practices. "IBM, British Telecom, Alcan, NorskeCanada and Bayer-have collectively saved at least another $2 billion since the early 1990s by reducing their carbon emissions by more than 60%."
According to Lovins an obstacle that prevents many from following these groups is that it is difficult for them to visualize what they are saving, "because saved energy comes in millions of invisibly small pieces, not in obvious big chunks."
This concept can be applied to virtually ever scenario including the home front. One example he use is adding more insulation for those who have to deal with colder climates instead of buying a central heating system which would eliminate heating bills. Lovins did so with his own Colorado home and was impressed with the results. "Eliminating the need for a heating system reduced construction costs by $1,100 (in 1983 dollars). I then reinvested this money, plus another $4,800 into equipment that saved half the water, 99% of the water heating energy and 90% of the household electricity." that was more than 20 years ago and as the environmental movement gathers ever more momentum the price of renewable energy resources are becoming cheaper and more efficient. With human ingenuity the future of sustainability has birthed into a bright and prosperous option.

Citations:
More Profit with less Carbon by Amory B. Lovins

Picture:
https://portal.mtt.fi/portal/page/portal/MTT/JULKAISUT/VUOSIKERTOMUKSET/AN_REP2002/graafi_03_02.gif

A Sand County Almanac

Leoplold's article picks up where Gifford Pinchot's idea of conservation left off and explores the ethics that surround it. His view is that preservation of the ecosystem requires people to be stewards rather than owners. Ecological ethics he writes have not yet been considered when dealing with ecological resources "Individual thinkers since the days of Ezekiel and Isaiah have asserted that the despoliation of land is not only expedient but wrong. Society however, has not yet affirmed their belief. I regard the present conservation movement as the embryo of such affirmation." He also states that conservation does have good intentions but are futile because of the lack of understanding of the implications that would effect such a dynamic living system. In philosophical terms he produces the problems and perhaps a step in the right direction with peoples involvement in the ecological ethics. "the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts. His instincts prompt him to compete for his place in that community, but his ethics prompt him also to cooperate (perhaps in order that there may be a place to compete for)."
Society as a whole has lost appreciation for the free energy that fuels its progress. Perhaps with the convenience of having a plentiful cash crop of materials for so long that people have lost the idea that "it is better to give than to receive" because this ideal falls short when it comes to the environmental use.

Citations:
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

Picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sand_County_Almanac

Principles of Conservation

Gifford Pinchot's article is a good example of what conservation meant more than a century ago. His definition was that conservation "demands the welfare of this generation first, and afterward the welfare of the generations to follow."

He writes about resource waste and that it must be considered a industrial priority. With reduced rates of waste there will be more resources and economic value. "in the early days of forest fires, they were considered acts of God, against which any opposition was hopeless and any attempt to control them was not merely hopeless but childish... Today we understand that forest fires are wholly within the control of men. So we are coming in like manner to understand that prevention of waste in all other directions is a simple matter of good business. The first duty of the human race is to control the earth it lives upon."

This produces a more prosperous society in which "The natural resources must be developed and preserved for the benefit of the many, and not merely for the profit of the few." This article explains how the idea of conservation quickly developed into a political practice. This marked a cornerstone in the environmental movement for the western world when preservation of resources became an important component of harvesting.

Citations:
Selection 3: Principles of Conservation by Gifford Pincot

Picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifford_Pinchot

Jane Goodall helps humans and animals live together

The biggest challenge that environmentalists face is that they still barely know anything about the living world that everyone depends upon. Slowly but surly over hundreds of years of experimentation an observation that understanding becomes greater. But the anthropocentric ideals that have made human race so successful are beginning to unwind. Jane Goodall's research on chimpanzee behavior in the 60's was monumental in understanding the human psyche because they are the closet living relatives to humans. Through her research she discovered that learning also plays a key role in a chimpanzee's way of life. Females chimps nurture young for at least 5 years and in that time the young learn from their elders and gain necessary survival skills through "Observation Imitation and Practice". It has been observed that chimpanzee also have been able to adapt the use of tools in this way. Populations from different geographic regions have been able to create and use tools to suit their own unique needs. Chimpanzees create complex family groups in which a unique personality within every individual this is what she calls a sort of a primitive culture. "In chimpanzee society we find many examples of compassion, precursors to love and true altruism. Unfortunately they, like us have a dark side to their nature, their capable of extreme brutality even a kind of primitive war and these aggressive behavior for the most part are directed against individuals of the neighboring social group." These observations reinforce the fact that we are so deeply connected to the earth. The ecocentric values that lay in the center of indigenous culture for thousands of years are once again being reassured by scientific research.

Citations:
"Jane Goodall helps humans and animals live together" courtesy of www.ted.com

Photo:
www.janegoodall.org

Bibliography:

Sources, Environmental Studies:

-Selection 6 by Lynn White Jr: "The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis."

-Selection 7 by Garrett Hardin: "Tragedy of the Commons."

-Selection 11 by Orrin H. Pilkey and Robert S. Young: Will Hurricane Katrina Impact Shoreline Management?"

-Selection 12 by The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005: "Ecosystems and Human well Being."


Andy Goldsworthy: Rivers and Tides
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TWBSMc47bw

Blog Reflection 2

These articles explore the aspect of environmental ethics. It gave examples of the extremes and the lengths in which people will go as well as how those with good intentions could further the damage. In the first selection by Lynn White Jr spoke upon western society and modern science and technology how tthey have history deeply rooted in the anthropocentric theolgy of Juedo-Christianity. He produced many valid arguments. He concluded that the heart of the environmental issue was that "post- christians" have to begin to embrace a more ecocentric ideals. I think this is aleady happening today on the frontiers of globalization, we meet individuals who are a bond spirtuatly to the living world around them without a dominant faith. Take Andy Goldsworthy for example he creates works of art completely out of natuaral materials he finds in the environment around him. What is so notable is that all his pieces disappear back into nature leaving no evidence theat they were ever there. He feels the connection to his work as all the great artist have. "If I don't work for a long period of time I feel rootless" He feels it is like anyone to feel empty in this way. Many have filled the void with religion. Andy feels the strong spiritual connection with the natural environment around him "There are all the subtleties that I am aware of like the fact that the wind has gotten just a liitle bit stronger."

While Lynn White Jr blames ancient Judeo-Christianity for our massive envirnmental impact Garret Hardin says it is the over population of the planet that created the tragedy of the commons his extermist view speaks of goverments putting into practice laws which would greatly reduce the breeding production of our species. This I believe would ineffective and problematic. Even though our understanding of the world around us and our ability to modify it greatly differs us from other species we are still animals. An indvidual organism no matter what phylum serves only purpose to the rest of its species and that is to preserve it. It is the most primitive of all feelings. The need to produce is imbedded into the mind of every fully functional homo sapien. And second only to food and water as the presious freedom which will oppose and defeat any law that may one day appose it.

The issue of environmental ethics is full of exceptions and grey area it will constantly be changing as we people become desperate and science excells. The ethics will be argued until the end of mankind. We can all agree on that.

Tragedy of the Commons

By Garret Hardin

The "Commons" is a resource supply which is commonly owned among the population. And "tragedy" as defined by the philsopher whitehead is "The essence of drmatic tragedy is not unhapiness. It resides in the solemnity of the remorseless workings of things. This inevitableness of destiny can only be illustrated in terms of human life by incidents which in fact involve unhappiness. For its only by them that the futility of escape can be made evident in the drama."

Hardin paints a picture of how the tragedy of commons develops.
An open pasture is a free utility to all the herdsman living around it. Every herdsman will try to keep as many cattle grazing as within their own means. They are mitigated by forces beyond their power for some time due to tribal wars, poaching and disease this negative feedback loop keeps both populations in check enough that the land remains healthy. A then comes the day of social stability. A herdsman can now raise more cattle to provided for his family. This produces one negative and one positive component.
1. The Positive: Function of the extra animal will increase the profits soley for this herdsman and his family
2. The Negative: The impact of one extra animal will put more pressure on the deredation of the land. But the herdsman who own this animal will feel only a fraction of this negative component.
This doesn't seem to bad until it the entire group begins banking on the oppertunity. Thus excelling the degradation of the pasture (commons).
This senerio has played out thousands of imes in the past and its as evident now as ever. The collapse of the cod fisheries in Atlantic Canada is a sobering reminder of how much we all depend on these shared resources. The trafgedy of the commons is also apparent when considering pollution. Same concept but instead of taking somthing out we are putting somthing in. The effects of harmful chemicals fro m industry being dumped in a river will cause illness to those drinking down stream.

So what are we to do? Hardin points out that biggest flaw in action to fix things that people look for a technical solution. "A technical solution may be defined as one that requires a change only in the techniques of the natural sciences, demanding little or nothing in the way of change in human values or ideas of morality." The tragedy of the commons does not have a technical solution. He provides an example "How can I win a game of tic tac toe? It is well known that I cannot, if I assume (in keeping with the conventions of game theory) that my opponent understands the game perfectly. Put another way there is no tchnical solution to the problem. I can only win by giving a radical meaning to the word "win." I can hit my opponent over the head; or I can drug him... Every way in which I "win" in spome sense abandonment of the game as we intuitively understand it."
The root or the issue is overpopulation people can reproduce as much as they so please which turns out be a whole lot. Parents who breed to exueberently will have a less decendents than more because they will not be able to provide for all their offspring. "Freedom in commons brings ruin to all (it was learned thousands of years ago but natural selection favors the forces of pshychological denial. The individual from his ability to deny the truth even though society as a whole, of which he is part, suffers. Education can counteract the natural tendency to do the wrong thing but the inexorable succesion of generations requires that the basis for this knowledge be constantly refreshed."
Another fault in the issue he believes to be is the Universal Decleration of Human Rights which describes the family as "the natural and fundemental unit of society."
Garrett Hardins says the only way to prevent our own imenent doom is to is to regulate the amount of children being birthed. This is an extreme solution but is well supported he concludes by say that the only way we can nuture other and more precious freedoms is by relinquishing the freedom to breed, and that very soon. "Freedom is the recognition of necessity."

Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis

By: Lynn White Jr.

This article speaks upon the birth of technology. How Judeo-Christianism influenced how it was taught and understood for a very long time. The ideals that came along with Christianity were that the environment and nature's purpose is to serve man and nothing more we called this an example of anthropocentrism.White describes that "both modern technology and modern science are distinctively Occidental." Western technology absorbed elements from all different cultures. Therefore Western science is all the worlds ideas compiled together by what is called the western world. Of course it is no surprise that western society is becoming more and more common throughout the world.

The underlying cause is believed to have been rooted in the soil of Northern Europe. Agriculture was more difficult here because of the wet temperate climate which made the soil thick and sticky. But in the 7th century AD a new more efficient plow was created which required 8 oxen to pull it rather than 1. As no peasent owned only one animal the families compiled them together to utilize the power of the new machine. "Thus, distribution of land was based no longer on the needs of a family but on the capacity of a power machine to till the earth." White explains that this was a critical turning point in which man went from being a part of nature to an exploiter of nature, nowhere else in the world had this been done before. It was the decendents of the same farmer who would pave the way of modern technology.

Another element to this model was the Judeo-Christian faiths which fit under on the most extreme of anthropocentrism. While most Eastern religions on the opposite ends of the spectrum would be considered biocentric or ecocentric. This is apparent when considering the christian view of the beginning of time, god created all the earth the sky and all the physical world. Then god made man in his image who then "named all the animals, thus establishing his dominance over them." This meant that man came second only to god. All the rest of the natural world was a divine gift and a sign of the lords never ending love. Nature became an array of symbols in which god communicated with man. But then things started to change around the 13th century first in the latin west. As natural occurrences would be left to the judgment of those present the one thing everybody could agree was that the lord worked in mysterious ways. But then individuals began to take a closer look, to understand god's work. White states that scientists goal was "to thinks God's thoughts after him" this justified their work and it is human nature to be curious. "It was not until the 18th century that the hypothesis of God became uneccesary to many scientists." This is the case today today but Western Science was built on Christin theology which is apparent still today.

This is Lynn White Jr's opinion, that Judeo-Christianity is justifies the exploition of nature except for certain cases like St. Frances of Assisi. He says that science and technology alone will not will prevent the excelling negative environmental impact. Westerners must also shed the christian axioms that they hold.



" Sources-Environmental Studies: Section 6"

The Population Explosion: Why We Should Care and What we Should do About It. (summary)

The Population Explosion: Why We Should Care and What we Should do About It
by Paul R. Ehrlich & Anne H. Ehrlich

This article talks about the worlds population explosion and its direct connection to the degredation of the environment as well as the rapid loss of biodiversity. It goes on to explain the model of population impact on life support systems "The number of people (P), multiplied by per capita affluence (A) or consumption, in turn multiplied by the technologies employed to service the consumption, in turn multiplied by an index of the environmental damage caused by the technologies employed to service the consumption (T), gives a measure of the environmental impact (I) of a society. This is the basic I=P x A x T identity often just called the I = PAT equation." This equation is important because It shows how each factor is dependent and a multiple of each other . Usually environmental aspect of the situation giving a very shallow perception of the entire issue.

From article 36 of
Sources: Enivronmental Studies by Thomas Easton

Our Stolen Future (summary)

Our Stolen Future
by: Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, and John Peterson Myers

This article talks about chemical waste and pesticides that are now circulating through the earths natural cycles. There is much evidence that these contaminants are affecting the local wildlife in a variety of ways. Many believe that these same chemicals are causing serious long term affect within human tissue as well. Though the evidence is probable at best transferring the result from lab animals to a human situation there is alot of different factors to take into account the most obvious being that "mice are not little people" meaning that studies on another species may not accurately explain what may happen to a human being. On the contrary however espcially with other mammals tissues and organs are very similar so studies could be more accurate than previously believed. Dosage is also an issue because most lab experiments use the large dosage when intake would be marginal in real situations
Pediatritions especially have noted more and more abnormalities in children. As well more cancer amoung the human population

From Selection 32 of Sources: Environmental Studies by Thomas Easton

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (summary)

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond

This Article explores the concept of sustainability of societies and how they fail or succeed from the changes around them both economic and environmental.

He provides examples of societies that grew into mighty empires which build massive temples and palaces and then disappear leaving only the scattered fractional populations and remanents, evidence of what used to be. Most of these collapses have suspected by paleontologists, historians and many others to be at "least partly triggered by ecological problems: people inadvertently destroying environmental resources on which their societies depend... unintended suicide-ecocide." Diamond goes on to explain that an event like this would usually be followed by a events of positive feedback that would further fuel the collapse. It is their cultural morals which decide wether they may survive or disappear.

From section 42 of Sources: Environmental Studies by Thomas Easton

The Sacred Balance with David Suzuki

The Sacred Balance with David Suzuki

"We are the water we drink, the air we breath, the soil that feeds us, the energy that keeps us going." Suzuki explains our relationship with the earth and how over time we lost the connection. When people began to believe that everything theirs for the taking. Before this culture had a bond with their lands that surpassed just practical reasons. They believed their land to be sacred, something to be cherished "Human beings make their mark on the land and over generations the land shapes them." (Suzuki) This video is effective how it explains the human as a protector a expansionist and a living creature whos great adaptation of learning catapulted us into a new state of dominance over all other species. We have become greedy and are beginning to loss our morals of old. But as crisis approaches people are looking into the future as well as what has already past. "Science & technology (is) one bank of the river and religion, tradition & faith (is) the other bank of the river. both the banks need to be firm and then only the river can maintain the flow."-Veer Bhadra Mishra (Hydrological Engineer) This quote sums up the title (the sacred balance) and the purpose of the video. And perhaps our only chance of solving moving on from this age old problem.