...on society with the intention to bring awareness to sustainability. In Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, the issue of agriculture sustainability is presented. True sustainability is not just agriculture; it is all the natural renewable resources available in the world. Humans do not realized the amount of packaged products they consume in a day or the harmful chemicals that we pollute the earth with when we drive or apply them to agriculture. As consumers we look for convenient, cheap, and accessibility to minimize the time needed in order to perform everyday tasks. Until humanity grasps how these every day products are hazardous not only chemically but also on our natural resources; we as a people will continue to consume un-renewable resources. By increasing the concept of a sustainable development, humanity will use fewer nonrenewable resources such as petroleum’s and fossil fuels and rely on renewable resources such as solar energy. Without a defined structure of true sustainability; governments, corporations, businesses, companies and individuals will continue to depreciate the Earth’s natural resources until it is uninhabitable. “All definitions of sustainable development require that we see the world as a system—a system that connects space; and a system that connects time.”(EurActiv, 2004) Sustainability as referenced in Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma is referring to human sustainability. The use of sustainability in this form has yet to receive a true...
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......Now I know that cultural assumptions, even well-established ones, can be overturned, which is why I am excited about State of the World 2010. It calls for one of the greatest cultural shifts imaginable: from cultures of consumerism to cultures of sustainability. The book goes well beyond standard prescriptions for clean technologies and enlightened policies. It advocates rethinking the foundations of modern consumerism—the practices and values regarded as “natural,” which paradoxically undermine nature and jeopardize human prosperity. Worldwatch has taken on an ambitious agenda in this volume. No generation in history has achieved a cultural transformation as sweeping as the one called for here. The book’s many articles demonstrate that such a shift is possible by reexamining core assumptions of modern life, from how businesses are run and what is taught in classrooms to how weddings are celebrated and the way cities are organized. Readers may not agree with every idea presented here. But it is hard not to be impressed with the book’s boldness: its initial assumption is that wholesale cultural transformation is possible. I believe this is possible after having lived through the cultural transformation of women in Bangladesh. Culture, after all, is for making it easy for people to unleash their potential, not for standing there as a wall to stop them from moving forward. Culture that does not let people grow is a dead culture. Dead culture should be in the museum, not in human...
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...defined as the derivation of benefit from that resource in economic or financial, social or cultural, political and ecological respects. Human actions or resource use have altered global environment and reduced biodiversity by causing extinctions and reducing the population sizes of surviving species. Increasing human population size and per capita resource use will continue to have direct and indirect consequences such as distorted values of plant and animal resources, inappropriate resource tenure and ownership structure as well as lack of knowledge on resource management and biodiversity conservation. Inevitably, our collective future becomes bleak as future generations will inhabit a planet with significantly less wildlife, diminished ecosystem services and an increased impoverished people. Keywords: Resource, Biodiversity, future Introduction The most significant environmental issue in the contemporary world has been resource use and biodiversity conservation. This is not unusual because humans benefit directly or indirectly from resources and its biodiversity. In the last few decades, population growth has increased manifold and consequently demand for food, dwelling space and other necessities has also increased. By implication, the activities of humans have aggravated resource use which has led to the destruction of biodiversity conservation. In addition, it has ultimately created the ecological...
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...In the article “Poverty and Pollution” the author considers several ethical dilemmas. The writer gives us an overview of the ecological situation in Brazil’s “valley of death” – one of the most polluted places on Earth. The air in the valley is full of harmful gases and many residents suffer from the variety of health problems as the result. Some people believe that negative environmental impacts are the price of the progress. But on the human side, who pays the social price for the pollution? Some scientists, such as university professor Dr. Oswaldo Campos, argue that poor part of the population in third world countries pays the price. If so should developing countries try to find a way to economic prosperity with strict environmental standards? On the other hand, what kind of moral obligations does business have when it comes to the environment? Let us consider these ethical dilemmas in greater details. Do poor countries really pay the price for the progress? We can consider historical progress made by the countries in the West. None of them magically advanced to the relative prosperity without sacrifices. Many of the same “dirty” industries originated in the industrialized countries. Many of them have been there for the most part of the twenties century. Since western population had to deal with them for some time, these industries have evolved and many of them have now being perfected to the best of human ability. Many factories reduced their air emissions,...
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...characteristics of an Agrarian Society I will first present the base cause of human alienation from nature as well as possible solutions to overcome this unnatural dilemma. Secondarily, I will testify without a doubt how the agrarian solution hugely differs from other mainstream solutions to the environmental crisis suggested...
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...(Pearson Education, 2002) Over 90% of the population in the continental U.S. depends on waters shared with other states. (Draper, 2003) Clearly, guidelines and procedures for efficient and effective water sharing are necessary. Water is central to survival of life itself, and without it plant and animal life would be impossible. Water is a central component of the Earth system, providing important controls on the world's weather and climate. Water is also central to our economic well-being, by supporting rain fed and irrigated agriculture, forestry, navigation, waste processing, and hydroelectricity. (Vorosmarty, 2002) Recreation and tourism are other primary uses supported by water, especially in developed countries. (Bourget, 2005) The water in rivers and some aquifers is different from commodities like oil and gold. Flowing water, like any ambient resource, does not stay within the four corners of any boundaries in the manner of land. (Dellapenna, 2000) Because water is a non-excludable natural resource, it is subject to the same collective dilemmas that plague other common-pool resources: overexploitation of ecosystem services and under-investment in natural capital. (Ostrom 1990) Water, unlike oil or gold, is a shared, mobile and public resource that it is used and reused for...
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...and that of the wider world ecosystem? As it turns out, not much attention at all. The process of feeding corn to cows, which have evolved for millions of years to eat grass, is severely detrimental to their health. When Cows graze on grass, they have sufficient room to spread out and be healthy, but because corn is introduced to the feeding environment by humans, it must be delivered in troughs which pack thousands of animals shoulder to shoulder. Disease is easily spread in these concentrated conditions, and if a cow was not slaughtered at the usual 14-16 months, it could die from sickness. Additionally, the introduction of corn to the rumen (a digestive chamber in a cow) creates abnormally acidic conditions allowing E. coli, which naturally thrive in the normally neutral rumen and are instantaneously eliminated in the acidic human stomach to adapt to a low pH environment, which enables the bacteria to survive inside a human. The contemporary E. coli affliction is therefore a direct result of the use of corn as animal feed. The meat you eat is sick. It is always important to learn lessons from history, even when it comes to food. Monoculture as an agricultural strategy has failed its masters time and time again. Look back to the Irish potato famine of the mid-nineteenth century. The Irish were dependent almost entirely on a single vegetable, the potato, and when the common potato blight hit the country and turned their potatoes black in the earth, the nation was left starving...
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...lens of intersectionality is needed to see how the genetically modified seeds created by Monsanto lead to their domination of the nature and humans. According to Kimberle Crenshaw, “...any analysis that does not take intersectionality into account cannot sufficiently address the particular manner” (58). Crenshaw argues that an experience is greater than a sum of two factors, and instead that the experience is unique due to these factors. In the case of Monsanto, I will analyze the unique effects this corporation has created in their quest to maximize their profits. Capitalism drives our patriarchal society to do what those in charge deem necessary to gain profit. Gloria Anzaldua states, “White America has only attended to the body of the earth in order to exploit it, never to succor it or to be nurtured in it” (90). She shows that the White Americans who are at the head of the patriarchy exploit the land for their own gains to create profit for...
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...Name: ________________________________________ Period______ Date ______ AP Environmental Science: Ch.1 Study Guide (20 points) Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability Read Ch. 1, pages 6-26 Answer questions 1-10 on page 25 Selected Critical Thinking Questions Define the following: exponential growth development at an increasingly rapid rate in proportion to the growing total number or size; a constant rate of growth applied to a continuously growing base over a period of time sustainability the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance natural capital the extension of the economic notion of capital (manufactured means of production) to goods and services relating to the natural environment sound science to achieve the adaptive management of lands, waters, and natural resources on which human communities depend. environmentally sustainable society the Earth's resources must be used at a rate at which they can be replenished. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the market value of all officially recognized final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. economic development the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area. developed countries is a sovereign state which has a highly developed economy and advanced technological...
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...this review I will analyze and synthesize the authors’ primary points, conclusions and discuss how the natural environment and human well-being relate to my personal experiences and evaluations. As we delve into chapter 10, the Authors describe how Americans’ concern developed over a relatively short time period necessitating the protection of the natural environment from pollution and overuse of natural resources. In the 1960’s, industrialization in the United States had reached a point, as threats to the environment from pesticides and chemicals began to attract national attention. These concerns continued to develop throughout the next decade with a culmination of millions of Americans organizing an event on April 22, 1970, known as Earth Day. That same year President Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The establishment of the EPA was essentially a realignment of fifteen existing programs from the Department of health, Education and Welfare, department of the Interior, and the Department of Agriculture and several other non-cabinet level agencies. This decision was validated by the 1984, gas leak in Bhopal, India, and the 1986, nuclear explosion at Chernobyl where thousands of people were killed. Americans were convinced that the US government had a duty to protect citizens and the environment from horrific disasters. When Americans demanded action, Congress enacted the “command and control” model, meaning that the US government would set the standards...
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...Tropical Ecology Scrap Book 1. August 31, 2015 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150831163723.htm There has been changes and fluctuations in plankton and fish species in the North Pacific region that has been a mystery for some time. Several temperature changes have been linked to North Pacific ecosystem mystery. The distribution of plankton and fish species is caused by the ecosystem shifts. 2. August 31, 2015 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150831163726.htm Scientists have found ancient in many mantle rocks below the sea floor. These rocks that have been discovered contain microbial life, which show life had been present during the Cretaceous period. This discovery finally confirms a hypothesis that life can in fact be created deep below the seafloor. 3. September 1, 2015 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150901100551.htm Increase in climate threat has been identified using unique statistical analysis. The frequency in droughts and heat waves has been occurring more frequent than usual. Climate experts have been able to determine the dual climate threat. 4. September 1, 2015 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150901113432.htm Scientists discovered like humans female orangutans prefer specific characteristics. They prefer cheek padded male orangutans, which are more successful at fathering offspring. The females have standards. 5. September 1, 2015 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150901135103...
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...probably the world’s biggest problem, overpopulation. The photograph I saw was called Architecture of Density and it was taken by photographer and artist Michael Wolf. The photograph portrayed a massive building in Hong Kong that looked as if it was built to house thousands of people using the least amount of space possible. The apartment building seemed to be designed to have people crammed together with no room to move. Although Wolf’s main focus of his picture was to show viewers that the culture of Hong Kong starts in the homes of the people, I saw Wolf’s photograph as a look into the far more complicated issue of overpopulation, whose effects are currently felt worldwide and are slowly getting worse. Human overpopulation on earth is the leading cause of many of the planet’s problems. Overpopulation is defined as “excessive population of an area to the point of overcrowding, depletion of natural resources, or environmental deterioration”, (Answers). The problems caused by the overpopulation of humans range from the extreme of global warming/climate change, pollution, water shortages, desertification and depletion of other resources to other smaller problems such as deforestation, species extinction and overcrowding. However unfortunately, few governments or government officials around the world are willing to look at the big picture and instead try to solve the smaller problems such as global warming and climate change by looking at the smaller contributing factors...
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...Truth is a hard word to define. In fact, I do not think there is any definition that defines it in a way everyone could agree on. The Oxford Dictionary defines “truth” as “the quality or state of being true” which is vague to begin with. The same dictionary has fourteen different definitions of the word “true”. Even one of the most prestigious sources of references for the English language has a hard time defining truth. This is an important thing to consider before I share my definition of the truth as it relates to advertising because I recognize that it is limited by my own narrow perspective. I hope that as I work in advertising and face more ethical dilemmas, my definition of truth expands and evolves. On the most extreme side is the belief that truth is the undeniable facts....
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...primary nutrients critical for the survival of all living organisms. Although nitrogen is very abundant in the atmosphere, it is largely inaccessible in this form to most organisms. This article explores how nitrogen becomes available to organisms and what changes in nitrogen levels as a result of human activity means to local and global ecosystems. Introduction Nitrogen is one of the primary nutrients critical for the survival of all living organisms. It is a necessary component of many biomolecules, including proteins, DNA, and chlorophyll. Although nitrogen is very abundant in the atmosphere as dinitrogen gas (N2), it is largely inaccessible in this form to most organisms, making nitrogen a scarce resource and often limiting primary productivity in many ecosystems. Only when nitrogen is converted from dinitrogen gas into ammonia (NH3) does it become available to primary producers, such as plants. In addition to N2 and NH3, nitrogen exists in many different forms, including both inorganic (e.g., ammonia, nitrate) and organic (e.g., amino and nucleic acids) forms. Thus, nitrogen undergoes many different transformations in the ecosystem, changing from one form to another as organisms use it for growth and, in some cases, energy. The major transformations of nitrogen are nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, anammox, and ammonification (Figure 1). The transformation of nitrogen into its many oxidation states is key to productivity in the biosphere and is highly...
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...with free market capitalism. She discusses capitalism as failed economic system. She goes into great depth on the subject of resource extraction, pollution and the events of surrounding the affected communities in these regions across the world. However, rather than concluding that things are hopeless Naomi Klein argues that: We can build something better and reclaim our economic system. She argues that the market cannot save us. We have the tools/technology to get off of fossil fuels, but it requires leaving free market capitalism behind. We need to rebuild local economies, reign in corporate power and reclaim democracy. She argues that we aren’t all the all powerful saviours of the planet, but that as visitors on the earth we have to save ourselves from an earth that is rocking, burning and driving humanity into extinction because of our actions. Describe the three most important arguments or claims made in the book. The first argument Naomi Klein makes is that world leaders and climate scientists agree if we are going to avoid truly catastrophic consequences of climate change; we need to restrict the earth's warming to 2 deg celcius. Beyond that, the earth's systems start to unravel. The problem is simple; if you look at companies proven oil and gas reserves it is up to 5 times the earth's entire carbon budget. If we leave it in the ground, we have a chance. If we dig it all up, we’re cooked. The second argument that Naomi Klein makes is that we can’t respond to a collective...
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