SCI 204 Environmental Science Global Climate Change iLab 6 Exercise 1

16 Jun SCI 204 Environmental Science Global Climate Change iLab 6 Exercise 1

Question
Exercise 1

Indeed the thought of an entire country’s population being evacuated due to flooding from the rising ocean, seems like a fantastic script for a Hollywood block buster, however, for the government of Tuvalu and its 11,800 residents, it is a grim reality.

The small nation of Tuvalu, located in the South Pacific off the northeastern coast of Australia, is made up of 9 low-lying atolls which cover approximately ten sq. miles. In just the past few years, during the month of February, the tides have been rising higher than before. The islands’ roads have been known to be completely submerged due to waves coming in during these high tide times; leaving not only the roads underwater but, also destroying farmlands and leaving them stripped of any nutrients and eliminating the possibility of being used in the future.

Government officials fear the worst is yet to come; if the experts’ analyses are correct the nation of Tuvalu will become the first casualty of global warming and would literally be swept of the face of the earth.

According to the United Nations Environment Center the environment for development’s headlines read “Sea-Level Rise in Small Island Nations – Up to Four Times the Global Average – to Cost US$ Trillions in Annual Economic Loss and Impede Future Development “ . Now that is something to be concerned about, in over two decades we will see a loss of approximately thirty-four million hectares costing the international economy around $11.9 trillion –with a “T”.

Tuvalu is one of the less known island nations in peril; Kiribati, Maldives, Seychelles, Torres Strait Islands, Tegua, Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, Carteret Islands and Palau are other island nations that are also in dire “straits”. The populations combined come to 1,232,621 people. These are extremely small nations in comparison to the other nations of the world; however when we look at the nation of Bangladesh with a population of 156 million, it tends to raise some eyebrows.

Works cited:

http://nortonsafe.search.ask.com/search?&geo=&prt=cr&o=apn10506&chn=&ver=&q=Tuvalu&tpr=10&ctype=pictures&imgsize=all&safeSearch=on&imgDetail=true

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/03/world/asia/03iht-pacific.2.5548184.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.unep.org/newscentre/default.aspx?DocumentID=2791&ArticleID=10879

http://www.businessinsider.com/islands-threatened-by-climate-change-2012-10

Exercise 2

Coral is considered a marine animal, a living organism. The beautiful colors that they are known for comes from symbiotic algae, which coincidently is also their source of nutrition. In week two I talked about the effects of deforestation is the increase in global water temperatures. The warmer water is affecting the reefs in the increase of disease-causing organisms and also the relationship between the coral and their symbiotic microalgae. Some coral appear white or “bleached”, this is caused by a breakdown in the relationship with the symbiotic microalgae and if the temperatures remain too high for too long, that relationship will break down permanently and recovery is hopeless.

The future of these magnificent living organisms, that not only support a number of marine ecosystems but, also alter water circulation and energy to a multitude of near-shore settings is bleak if not doomed unless we do something about it. By focusing on marine protected areas (MPAs) we can potentially begin the recuperation of these incredible structures. It is imperative that we as an international community begin to really pay attention and focus on protection and conservation of this magnificent, marine biological phenomenon.

Works cited:

http://www.globalissues.org/article/173/coral-reefs

http://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-locations/great-barrier-reef-australia.html

http://www.coral.noaa.gov/education/bleaching-background.html

Exercise 3:

Agronomic production and efficiency hinge on the inherited characteristics of harvests and livestock, top soil, weather, and the accessibility of required energy and nutrients. Many essentials of the complete agricultural science process and nourishment system are principally subtle to temperature changes:

· water and soil resources

· poultry productivity, livestock and crops

· income and financial condition, farm structure

· waste control for restrained animal services

· biome services from agrarian sceneries

· nourishment superiority and welfare

· market substructure

· Food dispensation and circulation.

Particularly abundant regions, like the U.S. Corn Belt, located in most of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, the system will not be altered much; nevertheless, in interim areas, like the provisional sector in the middle of the Wheat Belt and the Corn Belt, significant alterations may transpire in produce and livestock mixture, in efficiency, and in effectiveness. These changes might be constructive if, precipitation accompanied the temperature increase in the Great Plains of the north.

This way soybean and corn would replace the pastures of wheat that currently dominate right now.

Works cited:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/w5183e/w5183e0b.htm

http://www.rff.org/rff/documents/rff-IB-10-03.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/agriculture.html

Exercise 4

Amongst the top culprits for the green-house effect, Methane stands in second place. It is a byproduct of nature through wetlands but, also through seepage from natural gas structures. Another huge source of Methane is from farms that produce cattle, goats, pigs etc. During their lifetime these livestock can produce large amounts of methane and released directly into the air.

One of the things we can do to reduce these incredible amounts of Methane being released is to change our diet. By reducing the amount of meat we consume, we alleviate the pressure on these farms to produce so much meat. In the process, we may have a side effect of lower obesity, diabetes and other health related issues with the being overweight.

Now, public enemy number one for the environment and the top, most felonious offender of the green-house effect is carbon dioxide. We are all more familiar with this fugitive and its effects on our atmosphere. Now carbon dioxide is also a natural occurring phenomenon that through the forests and other ecosystems would naturally be filtered, recycled and clean. The human impact that is most concerning is two really big activities: deforestation and adding CO2 gases to those already in nature, through the combustion of fossil fuels. Examples: factories, shipping, transportation etc.

Stopping deforestation cannot happen overnight but, if we slowly reduce the amount of goods that originate in these rain forests, we can begin to see a decline in deforestation and an increase in recycled, clean air. In, succinct, we can also reduce the amounts of CO2 that humans contribute by researching and using alternative fuels, such as vehicles that run on solar energy or even perpetual electric energy.

Okay, here’s my conspiracy theory. I know many others share this thought with me and I have absolutely no evidence of this, with the exception of other theorists’ blogs, and websites.

The problem here is that humans are greedy and insatiable. The petrol companies that are making trillions of dollars will see the biggest loss in revenue if the world suddenly went electric or solar or wind or any other source of energy that is not associated with petroleum. So, these big corporations like, Chevron, Shell, Valero etc. will not allow the advancement in research of these types of energy production and their practicalities in the real world. They tend to search for individuals that are leading the field in these types of research, buy them out and ultimately bury these projects in order to keep selling the oil the public most desperately needs.

Works cited:

http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html

http://whatsyourimpact.org/greenhouse-gases/methane-sources

http://teeic.indianaffairs.gov/er/carbon/carboninfo/reduce/index.htm

http://coed.com/2010/10/30/8-conspiracy-theories-that-may-actually-be-true/

http://blog.world-mysteries.com/science/who-killed-the-electric-car/