...IPCC Status Report on Climate Change Summary Abstract The following is a summary of the IPCC Status Report on Climate Change. The following questions will be answered: is climate change occurring? About which aspects of climate change are we certain? Uncertain? What are the main factors determining climate change today? What is the likelihood that humans have caused these changes and what data supports this conclusion? And finally, what information is not yet available or are we unable to access at this time that may have bearing on the report and our understanding of climate change? The IPCC Status Report on Climate Change Summary for Policymakers is an assessment of the current scientific understanding of the impacts of climate change on natural, managed and human systems; the vulnerability of these systems and their capacity to adapt. The purpose of this report is to set out the findings of the Fourth Assessment of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental panel on climate change that they find to be relevant to those making decisions relating to government policy. The data used to compile the report are largely based on data sets that cover a period from 1970. According to the report, climate change is occurring. Observational evidence, including satellite imaging, from all continents and most oceans shows that many natural systems are being affected by regional climate changes, particularly temperature increases. Examples of natural systems affected include, but...
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...is not only dynamic but also holistic and seeks to produce results of the complex problems. Systems thinking is the only critical way to solve complex issues impeding sustainability challenges and develop quality solutions. Since its conception in 1920 by Jan Smuts Holism, it has developed and solved many issues (Gharajedaghi p.2013 558). Pollution is a complex issue which is intertwined in different processes and impacts in diverse ways. Thus, the topic is significance in pursuing ways to help solve the pollution. Ocean pollution also referred to as marine pollution is a wicked problem which has been increasing in complexity day in day out. This is because of the increasing population growth which stands at 7.2 billion worldwide (Noga & Wolbring 2013 p.3615). The increased industry establishment is directly proportional to chemical waste which settle in the oceans. It causes death of marine animals and plants hence poor marine ecology. The aim of this essay is to use the knowledge and skills acquired in role of systems thinking to address Ocean pollution as a sustainability challenge. It will explore various sources of ocean pollution, types and elucidate possible strategies which could be adopted as mitigation...
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...because of the devastation caused globally every year. Organizational Pattern: Problem Cause Solution Order Introduction: A. (Attention getter) When we throw something away, something as simple as a plastic bag, we often don’t think of where it will end up or the journey it takes to its permanent home. We don’t care what happens next; however, 86% of you stated, in my audience analysis, that we do need to be concerned with plastic pollution in Nebraska (Audience Analysis). (show plastic bag video) B....
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...Unit 3 Task 16 Carpenter, S. R., Caraco, N. F., Correll, D. L., Howarth, R. W., Sharpley, A. N., & Smith, V. H. (1998). Nonpoint pollution of surface waters with phosphorus and nitrogen. Ecological applications, 8(3), 559-568. Mid-position adverbs: Nutrient enrichment seriously degrades aquatic ecosystems… nutrient flows to aquatic ecosystems are directly related to animal stocking densities,… redepositing elsewhere and eventually reaching aquatic ecosystems… They are partly incorporated into crops… . Much of the N volatilized to the atmosphere is redeposited on land or water and eventually enters aquatic ecosystems Intensive animal production generally involves feeding large numbers of animals in small areas These percentages underestimate the total N flux to aquatic...
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...Pollution of water sources Dashmeet Kaur Grand Canyon University Concepts in Community and Public Health NRS-427-0104 Kathy Karlberg September 14, 2014 Pollution of water sources Summary of the teaching plan There are various health and environmental issues which needs the attention of everyone as they directly and indirectly affects the life of human beings, animals and various living organisms. Environmental issues include various aspects but the pollution of air, water and noise but water pollution is the topic of presentation as water is the main constituent of life and various life processes need water as an important part. The teaching is done in the Khalsa School Fremont which is in the Sikh temple. The people attending the presentation were the community members, general public and the students of the Khalsa School. The permission was granted by the director of Sikh temple Fremont and they provided a classroom which has a writing board and proper lightening and ventilation. The small children were sitting in the front row and the rest of the community people were sitting at the back. The estimated time of presentation is not more than 50 to 55 minutes and the teacher has a printed information regarding the topic of presentation which is “water pollution”. Some pencils and small gifts for the students in the Khalsa School as a thanks for attending the presentation. The teacher will include the problem, sign and symptoms, effects and solution of the problem. And...
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...manufacturing and recycling process, which accumulate to pollution and waste. Most people are presumably not aware of the contamination that plastic bottled waters give off to the environment. The purpose of this paper is to inform people of the impairment that bottled water containers contribute to Earth’s atmosphere. Hopefully, this paper will inform people on this subject matter and help discover new ways to benefit Earth’s environment. In the article, Muddy Wars: The Public Health Risks and Sustainability of Bottled Water in China, written by Abigail Barnes, she states, “The three primary environmental issues that stem from bottled water...
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...Elise Miller May 7, 2014 Public Address M/W @9am Speech 4 Surfrider Foundation: Save our Oceans! Attention Step (Introduction)- Attention Getter: I want everyone to think about something they love. Something that gives you enjoyment. Now imagine that something taken away from you and there is nothing you can do to bring it back. BUT there was something you could have done to prevent its extinction. That something for me is the ocean. It is my playground, it is my place of solitude, it is my home. Psychological Orientation: Now I understand that not all of you are lovers of the ocean. Some may even be scared of its power and the uncertainty that it radiates. But what you may not realize is that you don’t need to like the sea or live near a beach to be connected to the ocean. Oceans and coasts affect people’s lives every day, around the world. People need air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, new medicines, a climate we can live in, beauty, inspiration and recreation. We need to know we belong to something bigger than ourselves. We want a better future for those we care about. Because the oceans are the largest ecosystems on Earth, they are the Earth’s largest life support systems. To survive and prosper, we all need healthy oceans. ‘Oceans generate half of the oxygen people breathe. At any given moment, more than 97% of the world’s water resides in oceans. Oceans provide a sixth of the animal protein people eat’-I bet you didn’t know that. (Huber, 2010) They’re...
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...Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Jeremy Jackson “Perhaps the most striking aspect of plant life on a coral reef is the general lack of it. It seems anomalous to even the casual observer that tropical reefs, notable for their dazzling profusion of animal life, are almost devoid of conspicuous plants.†Sylvia Earle, 1972 INTRODUCTION Sylvia Earle’s early observations upon Caribbean reefs describe a forgotten world. Caribbean coral reefs have suffered massive losses of corals since the early 1980s due to a wide range of human impacts including explosive human population growth, overfishing, coastal pollution, global warming, and invasive species. The consequences include widespread collapse of coral populations, increases in large seaweeds (macroalgae), outbreaks of coral bleaching and disease, and failure of corals to recover from natural disturbances such as hurricanes. Alarm bells were set off by the 2003 publication in the journal Science that live coral cover had been reduced from more than 50% in the 1970s to just 10% today. This dramatic decline was closely followed by widespread and severe coral bleaching in 2005, which was in turn followed by high coral mortality due to disease at many reef locations. Healthy corals are increasingly rare on the intensively studied reefs of the Florida reef tract, US Virgin Islands, and Jamaica. Moreover, two of the formerly most abundant species, the elkhorn coral Acropora palmata and staghorn...
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...[pic] Course Syllabus GLG/101 Geology with Lab Please print a copy of this syllabus for handy reference. Whenever there is a question about what assignments are due, please remember this syllabus is considered the ruling document. Copyright Copyright ©2009 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. University of Phoenix© is a registered trademark of Apollo Group, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft©, Windows©, and Windows NT© are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Use of these marks is not intended to imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation. Edited in accordance with University of Phoenix© editorial standards and practices. Facilitator Information Michael Gutierrez gofiguretravel@email.phoenix.edu (University of Phoenix) gofiguretravel@q.com (Personal) 602-301-2633 (mountain) Facilitator Availability I am available from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Mountain Time on most days, but I attempt to reserve Saturday for my family. On Sundays, I tend to be online in the late evening only. If these times are not convenient for you,...
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...A Systems Analysis of Plastic Debris in the Pacific Ocean Course: Integrated Environmental Systems Instructor: Steven Arnold Fall Quarter University of Denver By: Cletus Achibonga November 7, 2012 Table of content Title 1 Abstract 4 Introduction 5 1.1 Scope 5 1.2 Background 5 Animal and plant deaths 8 2.1 Birds 8 2.2 Mammals and other animals 10 2.3 Plants and plant food 11 Environmental impacts 12 3.1 Physical impacts 13 3.2 Chemical impacts 14 3.3 Biological impacts 14 3.4 Human impacts 15 3.5 Economic impacts 16 Societal Responds 17 Conclusion and Recommendation 20 References: 21 List of figures Figure 1: A pack of plastics at the shores of Kamilo Beach, Island of Hawaii 8 Figure 2: Bird corpse with ingested plastic 10 Figure 3: Seal entangled in fishing nets and lines 11 Figure 4: DPSIR model analysis of the pacific gyre 18 Abstract The pacific patch is the most devastating problem of our generation yet there is little public knowledge about the nature and severity of the situation. There is also little to no awareness as to the way we humans either intentionally or unintentionally contribute to the worsening situation in our water bodies. This study used the DPSIR model in analyzing the problem of the pacific gyre from a systems perspective. It focused on the impacts of the pacific gyre on the environment, plants, animals as well as the ecosystem...
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...like a perfect place to live from above, the Central Valley is also home to some of the worst air quality in the nation. LOCAL CAUSES OF AIR POLLUTION The Central Valley contains many factors that play a role in its high levels of pollution. While this region is home to producing most of the fruits and vegetables...
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...of nations with respect to the world's oceans. The treaty addresses a number of topics including navigational rights, economic rights, pollution of the seas, conservation of marine life, scientific exploration, piracy, and more. The treaty, one of the longest in history, is comprised of 320 articles and 9 annexes, representing the codification of customary international law and its progressive development. Historical Background Since humanity first set forth upon the seas, the issue of sovereign control over the oceans has been an ongoing concern. Prior to the 20th century, the oceans had been subject to the freedom of the seas doctrine. This principle, adopted in the 17th century, limited national rights and jurisdiction over a narrow band of water along a nations coast, the rest of the sea being free to all and belonging to none. Nearly a century later, the "cannon-shot" rule became the basis for determining how much of the adjacent oceans were under the jurisdiction of a nation. The cannon-shot rule set forth that a nation controlled a territorial sea as far as a projectile could be fired from a cannon based on shore. In the 18th century this range was approximate three nautical miles. As time progressed, three miles became the widely accepted range for the territorial sea.[1] Due to the slow pace of technological developments prior to the Industrial Revolution, these simple rules provided effective governance of the world's oceans. With the technological developments of...
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...and China leading the leading nations. * Cause of using Possible Alternative Energy all over the World: * It does not seem quite sensible to keep on utilizing the same dirty sources of energy every time, and also keep worrying about them running out. If we think over this, we will come as funny. If we could tame the energy of the water, wind and the sun, we would be living in a world that had an inexhaustible and infinite source of energy. In addition to all these, the energy obtained would also be clean. Also, there would be no potential risks for the environment, and we could live in a world that would be completely free from any detrimental impact on the environment. It is our call to keep the pollution under check, since it is us who ever started the pollution in the first place. The technology that we created earlier was intended to make the energy sources we have now work for us. It is therefore now our responsibility to take proper care of the ecosystem. * The technology that is essential for the utilization of the alternative sources of energy has become quite affordable in these times. This is because more and more number of people is now using it. And for those who are not, this is the perfect time to start doing it. Here's another good thing about using these alternative sources. * The prices of diesel and petroleum derivatives tend to rise more and more. Every year, oil consumption grows and oil reserves get lower. Besides there’s the political...
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...Content Water they say is life, and indeed they were right. With about 70% of the earth’s cover being water; it undeniably becomes one of our greatest resources. Water resources are used in various ways including direct consumption, agricultural irrigation, fisheries, hydropower, industrial production, recreation, navigation, environmental protection, the disposal and treatment of sewage, and industrial effluents. Water has sources and supplies, economic, social, and political characteristics which make it a unique and challenging natural resource to manage. Water resources refer to the supply of groundwater and surface water in a given area. Water resources may also reference the current or potential value of the resource to the community and the environment. The maximum rate that water is potentially available for human use and management is often considered the best measure of the total water resources of a given region. With two thirds of the earth's surface covered by water and the human body consisting of 75 percent of it, it is evidently clear that water is one of the prime elements responsible for life on earth. Water circulates through the land just as it does through the human body, transporting, dissolving, replenishing nutrients and organic matter, while carrying away waste material. Further in the body, it regulates the activities of fluids, tissues, cells, lymph, blood and glandular secretions. An average adult body contains 42 litres of water and with just...
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...Personal Summary for the Course of Environmental Science Teacher: Janice Johnson Oralia Cuellar April 5th, 2015 Everest College The course of Environmental Science was a great experience and a great challenge for me because my personal situation. However I enjoyed it and learned many things that I never had heard before like the sustainability and types of energy. All the topics were very interested but I enjoyed two of them: The human impact and other living creatures into the environment, and the waste and pollution. The impact that human have with the ecosystem had transformed the climate of the whole world. Many of the habitats in the rain forest had suffered due to the overwhelming deforestation and we are feeling the changes of weather because of it. The rain forest helps to renovate the oxygen in planet. Human are responsible to the highest temperatures because they are adding heat to earth atmosphere through gases. We know these gases as greenhouse gases. We need to develop strategies to conserve the rain forest and help the earth to have less heat. The second topic that impacted me was the problems with waste and pollution. We the humans are not educated about how dangerous...
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