Well, I had originally started off this blog as a way to write down my assignments for class and to discuss various environmental problems. And although I don't enjoy using blogger much, I may still occasionally post here for everyone to read and enjoy. My class is coming to an end and I'm going to be discussing what I had learned over the semester and various things which I had enjoyed learning.
To start, I must say that there is no single environmental issue that is more important than another. Some may be more important than others, but there is not one that is most important. All do a great deal of effecting the environment and it's a combination of them which is damaging it. People hear things like green house gases and assume it's all coming from the fumes of our cars, but its a combination of that and many more things. So, as I had just stated, there is no issue that is more important than another.
The only real issue that I think is important (and one which I just learned about and really though about recently) was the idea of reduce reuse recycle. There is a reason it's said that way. Because we all know that as much as we try to recycle, things sometimes get left behind. By reducing what we buy, we create less trash by not having any to start with. I was just thinking about this the other day too, when I had seen a "buy one get the second on half off" on a drink. I thought to myself, this is a good deal, but I didn't need it, and it was just more trash. If I indeed had bought it, I could just imagine how many more people thought like I did and doubled their purchase, making twice as much trash from that specific product. Anyways, onto part number 2 of the idea of reducing reusing and recycling is to reuse. As many of you might know, recycling isn't always efficient. If I can reuse the same plastic bottle I was drinking from and fill it up again with water, that would be great! less trash right there. Finally, the last step is recycling, something we can all do. This is obvious just walking around anywhere where humans are present, I'm always seeing things that can easily be recycled which aren't, they're just thrown away, and not even in a trash can, on the floor. If we all followed these three easy steps, even just a little bit, it would make a great difference.
One of the interesting facts I learned about just recently was plastic, in the documentary bag it. It really is just wild how many things are made of plastic and how much of it we don't need. It definitely changed the way I think about things, especially since I walked into this class just because it interested me, I didn't really know what I would learn or how it would affect me. I also really enjoyed watching dive! and learning about dumpster diving and just how much food we throw away. It still amazes me just how much trash is tossed away and how we seem to just turn the other cheek or choose to be ignorant.
This class had me thinking that perhaps everyone should at one point take an environmental science class, just to see how they impact society. There are plenty of classes were required to take throughout our lives, what's one more? There are plenty of things I plan on changing and am currently changing about the way I do things. I already started eating less meat and started eating at lower trophic levels, using less, and being more concerned, as well as educating myself even more. Education and knowledge are the best things one can have, and everyday, I'm starting to learn that more and more.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Global Warming: Fact or Myth?
Hi there. Today's topic is global warming and whether it exists or not and what I think about it.
First, I would like to post this video I had seen a while back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zORv8wwiadQ
I had seen this video a couple years back and thought it had a couple interesting ideas, although the guy is a bit extreme. If you have an extra ten minutes to watch, do so.
The thing I like about youtube videos is that, no matter what video you watch, in the comments section you will always find someone arguing/debating with someone else. Now in this one, you can't always trust what everyone says, because after all it is youtube, but you have a wider variety of watchers and points of view from different people.
The point of the video is that we debate whether global warming is fact or myth. But whether it's real or not, we shouldn't debate on that. Lets face it, we're just wasting more and more money to find out whether or not it exists. We should take the precautionary measures to fix the environment, because the risk is much outweighed in not doing so. Plus, if we do anything that is environmentally friendly, even if global warming doesn't exist, we are still bettering the environment.
The question I will be answering today are: 1) According to evidence, is the climate changing? 2) What does the evidence say about human roles and impacts? 3) How is climate change likely to affect us? I will also be answering why skepticism still exists and why people might or might not believe in global warming.
One thing I read, as well as learned from both my marine biology class and readings online is that phytoplankton makes roughly %70-%80 of the oxygen in the atmosphere. I also read online that ocean acidification from carbon emissions is having an impact on marine life. These carbon emissions aren't coming from anywhere else but us humans, so we have to cut it down, and the site which i read this on (http://dels-old.nas.edu/climatechange/) said we should restrict our use of carbon emissions to %50 of what it used to be in 1990!
On the site http://unfccc.int/resource/iuckit/cckit2001en.pdf, it is estimated that the climate could go up anywhere from 1.4-5.8 degrees Celsius in the next hundred years. They also stated that this would be a bigger rise in temperature than there has ever been, meaning we are obviously the ones causing it, because it does not seem to be done naturally.
On http://environment.yale.edu/climate/, Yale scientists stated that over half of all Americans believe in global warming, although not everyone says it is caused by humans. It is fact, and we can look back at temperatures from previous years, that the globe is getting hotter. But we are also increasing the temperature faster than we should.
So far it seems that yes, the climate is changing, regardless of human impact or not, but the evidence also says that it is most likely human impact. Now how is it affecting us? As mentioned, it is having an impact on marine life, as well as the ozone layer. So what else is left on the globe for us to destroy? There are too many ways in which we are affecting the earth, too many to state.
Now onto the skepticism. Many scientists believe in global warming, but there are also those who don't believe. On the website http://heartland.org/ideas/global-warming-not-crisis it states global warming is not a crisis. Yet it also mentions just before that, that two thirds of the global warming in the 1990's was natural. They're trying to brush off the one third of the global warming that we did as if it were nothing. That ridiculous! That is quite the impact. So now, back to the video I had first mentioned, we can keep arguing about whether warming exists or not, or we can take action, since even the skeptics know we are warming the earth, and do something about it. We're spending money on deciding whether warming is caused by humans or not or if it's even happening when we could be spending it on making things better. So now it's up to us.
First, I would like to post this video I had seen a while back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zORv8wwiadQ
I had seen this video a couple years back and thought it had a couple interesting ideas, although the guy is a bit extreme. If you have an extra ten minutes to watch, do so.
The thing I like about youtube videos is that, no matter what video you watch, in the comments section you will always find someone arguing/debating with someone else. Now in this one, you can't always trust what everyone says, because after all it is youtube, but you have a wider variety of watchers and points of view from different people.
The point of the video is that we debate whether global warming is fact or myth. But whether it's real or not, we shouldn't debate on that. Lets face it, we're just wasting more and more money to find out whether or not it exists. We should take the precautionary measures to fix the environment, because the risk is much outweighed in not doing so. Plus, if we do anything that is environmentally friendly, even if global warming doesn't exist, we are still bettering the environment.
The question I will be answering today are: 1) According to evidence, is the climate changing? 2) What does the evidence say about human roles and impacts? 3) How is climate change likely to affect us? I will also be answering why skepticism still exists and why people might or might not believe in global warming.
One thing I read, as well as learned from both my marine biology class and readings online is that phytoplankton makes roughly %70-%80 of the oxygen in the atmosphere. I also read online that ocean acidification from carbon emissions is having an impact on marine life. These carbon emissions aren't coming from anywhere else but us humans, so we have to cut it down, and the site which i read this on (http://dels-old.nas.edu/climatechange/) said we should restrict our use of carbon emissions to %50 of what it used to be in 1990!
On the site http://unfccc.int/resource/iuckit/cckit2001en.pdf, it is estimated that the climate could go up anywhere from 1.4-5.8 degrees Celsius in the next hundred years. They also stated that this would be a bigger rise in temperature than there has ever been, meaning we are obviously the ones causing it, because it does not seem to be done naturally.
On http://environment.yale.edu/climate/, Yale scientists stated that over half of all Americans believe in global warming, although not everyone says it is caused by humans. It is fact, and we can look back at temperatures from previous years, that the globe is getting hotter. But we are also increasing the temperature faster than we should.
So far it seems that yes, the climate is changing, regardless of human impact or not, but the evidence also says that it is most likely human impact. Now how is it affecting us? As mentioned, it is having an impact on marine life, as well as the ozone layer. So what else is left on the globe for us to destroy? There are too many ways in which we are affecting the earth, too many to state.
Now onto the skepticism. Many scientists believe in global warming, but there are also those who don't believe. On the website http://heartland.org/ideas/global-warming-not-crisis it states global warming is not a crisis. Yet it also mentions just before that, that two thirds of the global warming in the 1990's was natural. They're trying to brush off the one third of the global warming that we did as if it were nothing. That ridiculous! That is quite the impact. So now, back to the video I had first mentioned, we can keep arguing about whether warming exists or not, or we can take action, since even the skeptics know we are warming the earth, and do something about it. We're spending money on deciding whether warming is caused by humans or not or if it's even happening when we could be spending it on making things better. So now it's up to us.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Green Chemistry
Hi everyone! This post has to do with a reading I got from my environmental science class about chemical hazards and human health. The reading can be found here:
http://faculty.rcc.edu/huff/spring%202012/enviromental%20science/blog%20assignments/Regulating_Toxic_Chemicals.pdf
The reading talked about many issues, including, but not limited to: chemicals and the risks, how much we know about them, how stricter regulations can effect manufacturers as well as consumers, and so on. It's amazing just how many chemicals are out there, and how with some, although they may be eaten and pose no threat, can pose a threat when breathing them in, such as with certain chemicals found in butter substitutes. I found it funny that they put chemicals on pillows to keep them flame-retardent, yet those chemicals can mess with your head. This reading also had interesting ideas which I never would have thought of, such as how Terry Collins, a professor of chemistry and director of the Institute for Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University, mentioned, which was that BPA used on compact discs or car parts might not be of as much concern as it would be if it were found on baby toys and bottles. The article may have had too much to offer in my opinion so I will be focusing on one topic, green chemistry.
Green chemistry is the design of chemicals which have a reduced impact on the environment. One example which I learned about in the reading was the use of resins and toners for office copiers and printers made of soy and corn feedstocks. This made the inks easier to remove from the paper, which in turn made it easier to recycle the paper and reuse it. The EPA provides money in the form of grants, as well as awards to companies which are using this new way. I also found it that a dozen or so universities offer these programs, which could make it a new up and coming green career. Big companies such as General Electric are investing tons of money into making their products more green using green chemistry. Senator John Kerry stated that "It's time for Washington to respond by helping to build a whole, new chemistry industry that's on a mission to make American greener." Collins also mentioned that green chemistry would likely exist without all the focus on hazardous products, but would be better utilized if it were to deal with them. I personally think that this is a great idea. I mean there's so much I've learned in my environmental science class that we humans do to impact the environment, and there's so many ways in which we can approach and fix these mistakes, and green chemistry is just one new way I've learned about. I think it's awesome how people are doing this and finding new ways to make things which we need, but find nicer ways of making them so the environment won't be harmed as much.
I decided to look up on green chemistry and found these two websites:
http://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/june2011/principles.htm
http://www.beyondbenign.org/greenchemistry/greenchem.html
The first site provided describes the 12 principles of green chemistry, which include: prevention, meaning the prevention of waste, less hazardous chemical synthesis, designing for energy efficiency, design for degradation, and many more. All twelve steps are provided in the website above. The second deals with a bit more with describing green chemistry, as well as providing its own links on how companies use them and on getting training for green chemistry. The definition which they provide in the first sentence on the site provided is the best I was able to find. It reads "Green Chemistry is a revolutionary philosophy that seeks to unite government, academic and industrial communities by placing more focus on environmental impacts at the earliest stage of innovation". I loved learning about green chemistry because it is an "untapped opportunity for ingenuity" and will definitely benefit in the future of the environment.
http://faculty.rcc.edu/huff/spring%202012/enviromental%20science/blog%20assignments/Regulating_Toxic_Chemicals.pdf
The reading talked about many issues, including, but not limited to: chemicals and the risks, how much we know about them, how stricter regulations can effect manufacturers as well as consumers, and so on. It's amazing just how many chemicals are out there, and how with some, although they may be eaten and pose no threat, can pose a threat when breathing them in, such as with certain chemicals found in butter substitutes. I found it funny that they put chemicals on pillows to keep them flame-retardent, yet those chemicals can mess with your head. This reading also had interesting ideas which I never would have thought of, such as how Terry Collins, a professor of chemistry and director of the Institute for Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University, mentioned, which was that BPA used on compact discs or car parts might not be of as much concern as it would be if it were found on baby toys and bottles. The article may have had too much to offer in my opinion so I will be focusing on one topic, green chemistry.
Green chemistry is the design of chemicals which have a reduced impact on the environment. One example which I learned about in the reading was the use of resins and toners for office copiers and printers made of soy and corn feedstocks. This made the inks easier to remove from the paper, which in turn made it easier to recycle the paper and reuse it. The EPA provides money in the form of grants, as well as awards to companies which are using this new way. I also found it that a dozen or so universities offer these programs, which could make it a new up and coming green career. Big companies such as General Electric are investing tons of money into making their products more green using green chemistry. Senator John Kerry stated that "It's time for Washington to respond by helping to build a whole, new chemistry industry that's on a mission to make American greener." Collins also mentioned that green chemistry would likely exist without all the focus on hazardous products, but would be better utilized if it were to deal with them. I personally think that this is a great idea. I mean there's so much I've learned in my environmental science class that we humans do to impact the environment, and there's so many ways in which we can approach and fix these mistakes, and green chemistry is just one new way I've learned about. I think it's awesome how people are doing this and finding new ways to make things which we need, but find nicer ways of making them so the environment won't be harmed as much.
I decided to look up on green chemistry and found these two websites:
http://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/june2011/principles.htm
http://www.beyondbenign.org/greenchemistry/greenchem.html
The first site provided describes the 12 principles of green chemistry, which include: prevention, meaning the prevention of waste, less hazardous chemical synthesis, designing for energy efficiency, design for degradation, and many more. All twelve steps are provided in the website above. The second deals with a bit more with describing green chemistry, as well as providing its own links on how companies use them and on getting training for green chemistry. The definition which they provide in the first sentence on the site provided is the best I was able to find. It reads "Green Chemistry is a revolutionary philosophy that seeks to unite government, academic and industrial communities by placing more focus on environmental impacts at the earliest stage of innovation". I loved learning about green chemistry because it is an "untapped opportunity for ingenuity" and will definitely benefit in the future of the environment.
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