...The Panama Canal was a technological vision desired by the empires of late 19th century as it promised a high yield of economic remunerations. In the end, the Canal was opened in 1914 by the American Panama Canal Construction Company (McCullough, David). An ample amount of research has been conducted to examine the economic benefits of the Canal to nations besides Panama, such as lower US oil shipping costs, lower costs to the consumer, and faster travelling times for goods and people. The impact that the Canal had on the indigenous peoples of Panama and the local environment is a less researched area into which my argument deviates. I believe this is a greatly mis- and underrepresented area of research as a result of French and American propaganda over the ages. The effects on the indigenous peoples and the native environment mostly contributed to their detriment. On the other...
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...The Panama Canal is approximately eighty kilometers long between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This waterway was cut through one of the narrowest parts of the isthmus that joins North and South America. The Canal uses a system of locks to raise and lower ships to the desired elevation. The locks function as water lifts: they raise ships from sea level(Atlantic or Pacific Ocean) to the level of Gatun Lake, which is twenty-six meters above sea level. Ships then sail the channel through the Continental Divide. Each set of locks bears the name of the town where it was built, Gatun ( on the Atlantic side), and Pedro Miguel and Miraflores ( on the Pacific side). The lock chambers, which are steps, are 33.5 meters wide by 304.8 meters long. The...
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...Today, agriculture takes up 17% of the country's GDP. Panama mainly relies on the United States, China, and Mexico for a number of things. The top five things they import is oil, machinery, vehicles, electronic equipment, and iron or steel products. Panama's natural resources include copper, shrimp, and hydropower. As said before, the deforestation of tropical rainforests threatened natural resources. The two largest cities with the largest populations in Panama are Panama City and Tocumen. Population is concentrated towards the center of the country, mostly around the Canal. These are the places where you’ll find modern commercial and recreational facilities. A big portion of the population also lives in the far west around David. This area...
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...combust is the primary means by which electricity is produced, but also leads to heavy concentrations of pollutants in our air and water. The real problem is that the atmosphere already absorbs a ton of greenhouse gases naturally, but is trapping up to 25 percent more of the sun's radiation due to annual increases in greenhouse gas emissions. Just think of the atmosphere as a very thick blanket of insulation—a blanket of insulation that grows thicker and more absorbent by the year. Deforestation… Deforestation is clearing Earth's forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the world’s land area, but swaths the size of Panama are lost each and every year. The world’s rain forests could completely vanish in a hundred years at the current rate of deforestation. Forests are cut down for many reasons, but most of them are related to money or to people’s need to provide for their families. The biggest driver of deforestation is agriculture. Farmers cut forests to provide more room for planting crops or grazing livestock. Often many small farmers will each clear there land to feed their families by cutting down trees and burning them. Logging operations, which provide the world’s wood and paper products, also cut countless trees each year. Loggers, some of them acting illegally, Fertilizers… A fertilizer is a substance, be it synthetic or organic, which is added to the soil in order to increase the...
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...cover of less than 2% of the total land area. The dwindling forest cover has a severe effect on the climate, wildlife, streams, human population especially forest dwellers. Introduction. Deforestation is clearing Earth's forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the world’s land area, but swaths the size of Panama are lost each and every year. The world’s rain forests could completely vanish in a hundred years at the current rate of deforestation. Reasons for cutting down the trees Forests are cut down for many reasons, but most of them are related to money or to people’s need to provide for their families.The biggest driver of deforestation is agriculture. Farmers cut forests to provide more room for planting crops or grazing livestock. Often many small farmers will each clear a few acres to feed their families by cutting down trees and burning them in a process known as “slash and burn” agriculture. Logging operations, which provide the world’s wood and paper products, also cut countless trees each year. Loggers, some of them acting illegally, also build roads to access more and more remote forests—which leads to further deforestation. Forests are also cut as a result of growing urban sprawl. Not all deforestation is intentional. Some is caused by...
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...Assignment 2 Deforestation Elaina Burns Science 200: Environmental Science Professor Tom Green December 6, 2015 Deforestation Deforestation is used to make the land available for housing, cattle ranches, oil, and fuel etc... The trees are used to make paper, pencils, furniture, houses, children’s toys, privacy fences etc…For many people especially third world countries trees are used to provide heat and a way to cook. Fires are used to detour wildlife from the villages/small communities. Unfortunately deforestation is a permanent deal. Trees take years to mature and the amount of land cleared each day is approximately 18 million acres each year. This is about the size of Panama City. According to Bradford, A. “about half of the world’s tropical forests have been cleared. Forests currently cover about 30 percent of the world’s land mass. Forest loss contributes between 6 percent and 12 percent of annual global carbon dioxide emissions, and about 36 football fields worth of tress lost every minute.” Deforestation is not completely caused by humans. Deforestation can be a natural factor in the wildlife such as forest fires or subsequent overgrazing which could prevent young trees from growing. A rapped amount of deforestation has a negative effect on the environment such as the loss of habitat for millions of species/animals. Cutting down trees forces the species/animals to move locations and adapt to a different environment. Due to this type of change for...
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...Michele Graham Biology 102 The Overall Impact of Massive Rainforest Deforestation Tropical rainforests are an invaluable resource to wildlife and humanity. The level of biodiversity is unlike anywhere else in the world. A plethora of unknown species of plants and animals thrive in tropical rainforests, and many of them may offer medicinal benefits to humans; however, with the rapid deforestation of these areas, the Earth is losing some of the most precious resources. Logging, agriculture, and cattle-ranching are the main forces that drive deforestation and heavily contribute to the resulting environmental issues. By developing sustainable methods of forest usage and eliminating excess deforestation efforts, the Earth’s tropical rainforests can continue to hold the treasures of wildlife. Forests make up thirty percent of the Earth’s land surface. Wildlife is abundant and plant life is so diverse that many species are still unknown. With forests areas the size of Panama being wiped away each year, in one hundred years the world’s rainforests could completely vanish (National Geographic). Countless trees are cut down every year by the logging industry, which supplies the world with paper and wood products. Its effects extend beyond the loss of trees. For example, several indigenous tribes of Papua, New Guinea have lost huge portions of their land to government-backed logging operations (Shearman, Phil, and Jane Bryan). For tribal peoples who subsist on the land, it is a major...
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...Business 604: Panama Ricky McNeal Liberty University Dr. Stephen Preacher October 5, 2012 Abstract Panama, a small country located in Central America, is very diversified in both its people and its climate. Considered to be the isthmus connecting South America to North America, Panama has played a key role in global transportation since the creation of the Panama Canal. The canal goes through the midsection of the country connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, allowing for much faster sea travel. Because of its location, Panama has been heavily influenced by several countries including Colombia which they were ruled by until 1903 and the United States which played such a large role in the realization of the canal. These foreign influences can easily be found in Panama's cuisine, music, and artwork as well as all the tribes that have settled within the country. The culture and political structures of Panama as we know it today has evolved from an incredibly diverse and interesting history. Punctuality is appreciated by business people, as is giving your host enough time to plan for your arrival. Thus, you should make appointments at least one week in advance. When you meet with your Panamanian colleagues, a handshake is a normal greeting. Do not rush into a meeting with talk of business right away. Your associates are more likely interested in getting...
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...Ravi Vallabh SCI 204 10/28/15 iLab1: Deforestation 1. Discuss 5 products that come from tropical rain forests. a. Chocolate originates from the cacao plant, which grows in Central and South America. Its cultivation is a forest-friendly source of income for those living in the Amazon. (Larsson) b. Moisturizer has ingredients that originate in the Amazon. These ingredients include the Brazil nut and coconut oil. (Larsson) c. Medicine’s ingredients can come from the Amazon and have the properties to smell great and save lives. Tropical rainforests provide for 70% of the plants that have proven anti-cancer properties. (Tropical Forests, Larsson) d. Home and office products come from the most valuable types of wood only found in tropical rain forests. Though this may lead into deforestation, cutting down these trees. (Tropical Forests) e. Açaí is found in the Amazon, and is known as the super fruit of super foods. It is rich in proteins and is a massive health hit. (Larsson) 2. With clear examples, discuss 5 major causes of deforestation. a. Agricultural expansion (farming) demands come from an increase in consumer product demands. The Trans-Amazon Highway was to be built in the Amazonian basin, but it was a failure. However, the plan was to easily transport wood. (Debjani) b. Shifting cultivation is temporary growth, reliant on the clearing of a given area of a tropical rain forest. Once the cultivation amount is achieved, the area is...
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...becoming an icy sphere with surface temperatures of about 0°F. However, over the past century or so the amounts of greenhouse gases within our atmosphere have been increasing rapidly, mainly due to burning fossil fuels, burning of tropical rainforests, aerosols, air conditioners, chemicals released from decaying organic matter such as swamps, landfill sites, animal dung but deforestation also plays a huge part in the warming of the earth. Deforestation is clearing Earth's forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land. Forests still cover about 30 per cent of the world’s land area, but swaths the size of Panama is lost each and every year. Forests are cut down for many reasons, but most of them are related to money or to people’s need to provide for their families. The biggest driver of deforestation is agriculture. Farmers cut forests to provide more room for planting crops or grazing livestock. Often many small farmers will each clear a few acres to feed their families by cutting down trees and burning them in a process known as “slash and burn” agriculture. Deforestation also drives climate change. Forest soils are moist, but without protection from sun-blocking tree cover they quickly dry out. Trees also help perpetuate the water cycle by returning water vapour back into the atmosphere. Removing trees deprives the forest of portions of its canopy, which blocks the sun’s rays...
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...earth’s surface, but every year areas the sizes of Panama are being decimated (Deforestation). The clearing of large tracks of forests, which is thereafter converted to a non-forest use, is known as deforestation. Deforestation has a multitude of devastating effects in the world we live in. However with the cooperation of people worldwide this process can be drastically slowed down and even stopped. Forests are cut down for various reasons, but are almost always related to money in some way or another. The most common reasons are Urbanization, logging, large-scale agriculture, mining and urbanization. Deforestation can occur naturally and is caused by lighting, which then triggers forest fires. On average in U.S. 4 million to 5 million acres are lost due to forest fires, but in recent years more than 9 million acres have burn. Scientist believe the reason for the drastic increase is because global warming making summer season longer and dryer which is inductive to forest fires (Wildfires). Healthy forests help absorb greenhouse gasses and carbon emissions that are caused by human civilization and contribute to global warming. Without trees, more carbon and greenhouse gasses enter the atmosphere. To make matters worse, trees actually become carbon sources when they are cut, burned, or otherwise removed. According to the World Wild Life organization 15 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are the result of deforestation. This number might be hard to wrap your head around...
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...Deforestation Mitigation Strategy SCI/275 10/12/2010 Joanne Massi There is a global issue at hand relating to our environment. It is one that tends to get overlooked due to issues like global warming, oil spills, water related issues, etc. It is forest destruction, or Deforestation, as it is often referred to. Simply put, Deforestation is the clearing of the Earths forests on a very large scale. This is a worldwide epidemic, and generally in mainstream society, it is an issue that is largely put aside in its importance. While over 30% of the worlds land mass is still covered by forested areas (National Geographic.com), the rate in which the trees are being devoured is alarming. According to an article in the magazine, National Geographic, an area the size of Panama is cleared each and every year. Strategies must be developed to help control the amount of this precious resource that are stripped from the people and many different that rely on the forest for survival. To first understand and formulate a mitigation plan, one must first know the purposes behind Deforestation. There are many reasons behind why humans strip the forest of its trees. These reasons can vary, depending on the country we are talking about. They almost all come down to economics. For example, in many South American countries, poverty and lack of food sources cause people to clear land for the purpose of agriculture. The unavailability of jobs and a need to provide for their families results...
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...Assignment: Climate Change Proposal SCI/245 Axia College University of Phoenix June 17, 2012 Will Romine Assignment: Climate Change Proposal June 17, 2012 Dear Senator Lugar, I know you are a very busy man and I also understand that this is your last year as a senator for this wonderful state of Indiana. Therefore I believe that it is you that can help make a change in the senate. You would be speaking for everyone around the world who will be affected by global climate change. I do not pretend to be an environmentalist but I do know that global warming is real. The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is very likely human-induced and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented in the past 1,300 years. In recent years there have been more and more devastating storms, many of magnitudes not seen in many areas. The climate is changing and we need to do what we can now to either slow that change down or stop it altogether. Glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. The Himalayas are sometimes called the world's "third pole" because they are covered with thousands of glaciers. Water from those glaciers helps feed some of the world's most important rivers, including the Ganges and the Indus. As those glaciers melt, they will contribute to rising sea levels. Nepal alone has more than 2,300 glacial lakes, and experts say at least 20 are in danger of bursting. Glaciers are not the only thing in danger of melting, if the ice cap of Greenland...
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...The Nicaraguan Canal: Globalism in (In)Action The proposed Nicaraguan Grand Interoceanic Canal is three times as long and twice as deep as the Panama Canal (Watts, 2015). The increased size would allow the Nicaraguan Grand Canal to accommodate shipping vessels significantly larger than what the Panama Canal can currently fit, and was a central theme of President Daniel Ortega’s victorious 2013 reelection campaign. The massive project is funded by Chinese billionaire Wang Jing, and controversy surrounding the proposal has prompted a number of stakeholders on either side to speak out. Proponents of the project view the canal as a mechanism to bolster the country’s economy through increased foreign investment, free-market trade, and the creation...
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...Colombia is a country located in the northern part of South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama (The World Factbook). Colombia’s area is 1.14 million sq. km. (440,000 sq. mi.) and is about the size of California and Texas combined. Colombia is the fourth-largest country in South America. Colombia’s terrain is flat in the coastal areas, with extensive coastlines on the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, and it has three rugged parallel mountain chains, central highlands, and flat eastern grasslands. The climate tends to be tropical on the coast and eastern grasslands and cooler in the highlands (U.S. Department of State). Colombia’s natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, and hydropower. Its natural hazards are that the highlands are subject to volcanic eruptions, occasional earthquakes, and periodic droughts. The volcano named Galeras is one of Colombia's most active volcanoes, having erupted in 2009 and 2010 causing major evacuations, it has been deemed a "Decade Volcano" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations. Volcano Nevado del Ruiz located west of Bogota, erupted in 1985 producing lahars that killed 23,000 people, the volcano last erupted in 1991. And the volcano called Nevado del Huila, after...
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