Conclusion: 9 hearty sentences

 

 

            Overall overpopulation is a huge issue. What most of us choose to do makes it difficult to handle an increasing population.  Creating all types of pollution and climate change can be very dangerous for living organisms. As well as government choices, such as choosing conventional energy over sustainable energy that is clearly better for our health. Government can also give stricter restrictions on the amount of pollution companies are allowed to discharge.  The things we choose now will have a dramatic effect on the future.  The environment is constantly getting destroyed. We all can help our overpopulated world by making better choices and taking the initiative to restore ecology. The world is in the hands of the people.

Sustainable Energy

Sustainable energy allows us to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability for the future to meet their needs ("Sustainable Energy" ).  Sustainable energy sources include hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal energy, and tidal power ("Sustainable Energy" ).  The difference between sustainable energy and conventional energy is that sustainable energy is renewable, conventional is not.  Conventional energy is bad for the environment and our health; it causes pollution and climate change. As the population increases the need for energy will as well. Overpopulation is harder on conventional energy then sustainable. With the large population the need will increase and more pollution will be put into the air with conventional energy.  As population increases with sustainable energy we are able to continuously reuse the energy without causing damage that will affect the future generation. President Barack Obama insists on the country to use sustainable energy (Cunningham and Cunningham 446-471).  He stated “we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy” (Cunningham and Cunningham 446-471).   The president realizes the damage conventional energy has caused and knows that by using sustainable energy will benefit the country. 

One state that switched over to sustainable energy is Texas. Texas has one of the world’s largest wind farms (Romm).  It actually has more wind solar, and biomass resources than any other state (Romm).  Texas did not always use renewable energy, Texas used to produce more oil than the entire Middle East (Romm).  Texas went from being a large source for conventional energy many years ago to a source for sustainable energy.  Switching to renewable energy was extremely beneficial for Texas.  Texas got a $1 billion in investment by the electric utilities and wind industry (Romm).  They used the money for the state’s school fund and rural tax base and for the farmers and ranchers that leased their land to developers for the sustainable energy (Romm).  Texas wind farms are ranked number 1 (Romm).

  Out of all the sustainable sources wind energy seems to be the best one. “Wind could meet all our energy needs” (Cunningham and Cunningham 446-471).   The benefits of a wind farm are that it has no fuel cost or air emissions (Cunningham and Cunningham 446-471).  Wind actually uses less land then coal and other technologies and provides more jobs (Cunningham and Cunningham 446-471).  Other states should move towards sustainable energy as well. The benefit sustainable energy has is unbelievable because it not only saves money but it is also better for the world.

There are many ways we can help our overpopulated country. One way is by switching from conventional energy to sustainable energy. Help come down to the government, community and the individual.  Switching to solar hot water, wind power, solar power, bicycle, etc. Can help the environment; help to save money, help citizens, and also help the future generations.

 

 

 

 

Citation

Cunningham, Mary Ann, and William Cunningham. Enviromental Science. 12th ed. Newyork: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 297-316. Print.

 

Romm, Joseph. "Conventional Energy vs Renewable Energy." Grist. Grist, 28 2008. Web. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http:grist.org/article/wildcatting-the-wind-in-texas/>.

 

"Sustainable Energy." 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_energy>.

Water Pollution

Water is something that every human being needs to survive. It is very essential for human life; we cannot live very long without drinking water. Dehydration is actually much worse than food starvation; lack of water will kill organisms much faster. Not only do we need water to drink but also to bathe, cook, and many other things. But if this water we need is polluted it can be very dangerous to us and other species.

Water pollution is a serious issue that is affecting the world. 1.2 trillion Gallons of untreated sewage, storm water, and industrial waste is put into U.S water every year ("npg.org").  This is a lot of junk going into the water that we need to use daily. With the population increasing the demand for water will increase as well. Sixty percent of the most endangered rivers are in states that are experiencing increased population growth that is higher than the nations average ("npg.org") .Those states will eventually develop a huge water crisis. The water pollution is getting so bad that in some areas it is not safe for people or fish to swim. 39% of rivers, 46% of lakes, and 51% of estuaries are too populated for use ("npg.org").

Water pollution is very dangerous for all species.  We need water to live but that same water can harm us. In 2002/2003 pollution in rivers and streams killed 3.5 million fish just in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri ("npg.org").  People become infected with waterborne germs and parasites each year, an estimated 7.1 million mild to severe cases in the U.S. ("npg.org").  In extreme cases water borne diseases can even cause death. 1.8 million deaths annually are due to water borne diseases ("Wikipedia"). “In regions in which over population is an issue and there is a lack of proper sanitation and sewage systems many contract and die from waterborne diseases such as cholera and e coli hence, boiling or not boiling water is the difference between life and death” ("Overpopulation"). Water is something we all need but we must be aware of the dangers of pollution.

Water pollution is something we all can try to control and minimize. The water pollution is due to human actions. Companies, farmers, factories ect. put their waste into the water making it very unhealthy to use. We should all take actions to try to stop the water pollution by letting these companies know the danger they are causing and take actions within ourselves. Water pollution has an effect on all living organisms. As the population increases so will the demand for water. The water we all want and need should be clean and sanitized.

 

 

 

 

Citations

"Effects of Overpopulation: Water and Air Pollution." npg.org. Negative Population Growth. Web. 8 Nov 2012. <http://www.npg.org/factsheets/waterair.pdf>.

"Water Pollution." Overpopulation. Blogger, n. d. Web. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. <http://overpopulationrisks.blogspot.com/p/water-pollution.html>.

 "Waterborne diseases." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 08 2012. Web. 8 Nov 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterborne_diseases>.

Air Pollution and Climate Change

 

Many things we do affect the air we breathe and the climate we live in. it is very important to have clean air, with polluted air it can cause many problems to organisms. Our actions have something to do with the climate change as well.   We are creating problems that can be avoided with better decisions to protect our environment and ourselves.

Air pollution is very serious because it can affect the health of many. It increases lung cancer, asthma, and particles coated with chemicals in the body(Wooldridge 1-3).  So what can possibly cause air pollution? The burning of fossil fuels which includes natural gases and gasoline. Cars, planes, trains and power plants are all contributors to air pollution("National Geographics" 1-2).  Millions of homes burn wood, oil and natural gas that get into the air as well(eoed). As the world becomes more over populated the more air pollution will increase. More people will add to the pollution, their will be more drives, home owners ect. The people are creating the pollution in the air that will cause health problems for the people. “ Your health stands at risk with every breath  because you breathe thousands of toxic particles everyday” (Wooldridge 1-3).  Air pollution effect can physical health can can little effect to some and an extreme to another.  it can be as simple as an eye irritation to a birth defect to a child (Wooldridge 1-3).

   Over the years the climate has slowly changed.  Some people enjoy the warmer weather but is it good for the climate to change? One of the main components to our climate change is carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that is warming the earth("National Geographics" 1-2).  A study done in 2009 determined each child born in the United States will add about 9,441 metric tons of carbon dioxide ("Biological Diversity") .  “the US greenhouse gas contribution is driven by a disastrous combination of high population, significant growth, and massive consumption levels and this far, Lack of political will to end our fossil fuel addiction” ("Biological Diversity").   Overpopulation affects the climate change as well more people are creating greenhouse gases.

In conclusion air pollution and the climate change is mainly caused by us. We are creating the pollution and greenhouse gases. Many of the items that create pollution is how we make it from one location to another. Alternatives for this would be hard but not impossible. Burning wood, oil and natural gases in the home can be reduced also. All it takes is a person that cares enough to make the change.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Citations

"Air Pollution." National Geographics. n.d. 1-2. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview/

. "Overpopulation and Climate Change." Biological Diversity. N.p.. Web. 1 Nov 2012. <http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/overpopulation/climate/index.html>.

Wooldridge, Frosty. "Over-Population Exponentially Increases Air Pollution." OpEdNews 26 Feb 2007, 1-3. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.< http://www.opednews.com/articles/life_a_frosty_w_070223_air_pollution_nation.htm>.

Geological Disaster-Tsunami

Living on planet earth geological disasters happen every so often that we cannot control. Geological hazards consist of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and landslides (Cunningham and Cunningham 297-316).  When these natural disasters happen under water it creates a tsunami. A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water ("Wikipedia").  When natural disasters occur it has a tremendous effect on earth’s resources the environment, and all species.

In 2004 a large tsunami hit the Indian Ocean. The tsunami was caused by an undersea mega thrust earthquake that took place Sunday, December 26, 2004 ("Wikipedia").  It was one of the most deadliest natural disasters, hitting India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand ("Wikipedia").  This geological disaster killed over 230,000 people. This disaster was very unexpected for those affected by it. There was nothing that could stop this large tsunami from happening.

The tsunami that occurred was due to the sliding of plates. “An estimated 1,600 kilometers of fault surface slipped along the subduction zone where the India Plate slides under the overriding Burma plate” ("Wikipedia").  The India plate sinked deeper beneath the Burma plate which eventually caused partial melting and the formation of magma ("Wikipedia").  The rising magma causes volcanic activity that created the Sunda Arc ("Wikipedia").  The sea floor rose by several meters, displacing an estimated 30 cubic kilometers of water that triggered the tsunami wave ("Wikipedia")

One of the countries that was hit by this massive tsunami was one of the most overpopulated countries, India. The population of India is extremely large approximately 1.1 billion ("Freewebs").  Many citizens of India are already suffering from lack of food and water. Some people don’t even have electricity in their homes ("Freewebs").  India is a developing country that was already struggling before the Tsunami hit. The tsunami made it much harder for Indian people to survive and have a decent living. Because India is so overpopulated the tsunami affected a large some of people making their living situation harder. Other countries began to help India and other countries that were affected by the Tsunami. In response to the catastrophe a worldwide humanitarian was promoted ("Wikipedia").  Worldwide a total of 14 billion dollars was donated in humanitarian aid ("Wikipedia").

In Conclusion geological disaster is something we all must learn to live with. These catastrophes affect the world in many ways.  One thing we all can do when disasters do happen is come together. We can try to help those in need as we would want others to do for us in the same situation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Citation

"2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 20 2012. Web. 23 Oct 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake>.

Cunningham, Mary Ann, and William Cunningham. Enviromental Science. 12th ed. Newyork: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 297-316. Print.

"Global Issues Overpopulation in India." Freewebs. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct 2012. <http://www.freewebs.com/overpopulation/>.

Restoration Ecology

Many people in the world have not been making great decisions for the environment. As the population increases, more damage will be done.  Thankfully, we have restoration ecology to repair and restore the destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment. There are five main components of restoration removing physical stressors, controlling invasive species, replanting, captive breeding and reestablishing fauna, and monitoring (Cunningham and Cunningham 272-286). All of these activities are done to help nature heal from the damage humans have caused.

            Humans need to be aware of their actions and the damage it can cause the environment.  In 2008 environmental damage caused by humans reached 6.6 trillion dollars (Kropp 1-3).  That is a lot of money going towards repairs that could’ve been avoided with smarter actions. Global environmental costs are projected to reach 28.6 trillion by 2050(Kropp 1-3).  Environmental damage is a serious issue because it affects everyone, whether it’s realized or not. “All organisms depend on their environment for energy and the materials needed to sustain life: clean air, potable water, nutritious food, and a safe place to live.” (Resnik, and Portier ).  The environment is vital for human life; we all should take care of the environment so it can take care of us.          

            As the world becomes more over populated the more it will affect the environment.  Some of the issues we face are water pollution, soil degradation, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity. Water is very important to human life. Humans can only go a week or two without water. The main contributors to water pollution are factories and open mines, the metals, toxic substances, and solid waste are impossible to purify (Stancheva 1-2). These contributors are making it hard for the environment to have clean drinking water. Land is important for food production, but it is estimated that 1.2 billon hectares of land have lost most of their agricultural output capability (Stancheva 1-2).  Forests are also getting destroyed. Deforestation is due to the building of roads, expansion of residential areas, the use of wood as fuel and forest areas getting burned and converted into pastures (Stancheva 1-2).  Loss of diversity leads to the destruction of the natural habitat of many wild life species (Stancheva 1-2). The clearing of Amazon forest has a tremendous effect on many rare tropical species (Stancheva 1-2).  Most of the danger on the environment is long lasting and sometimes permanent.

            Restoration ecology may have different projects and goals they want to achieve. There are different kinds of restoration including revegetation, habitat, remediation, and mitigation(Vaughn).  The restoration is usually locally initiated and done by community volunteers (Vaughn).  The practice began in the early 1900s and is now established as a science and studied in research institutions (Vaughn).  We must continue to restore ecology to help the destroyed environment.

 

            In conclusion everyone can be a volunteer and help restore ecology. As the population increases the more help will be needed. Having a destroyed environment will eventually affect human life.  It is very important to make good decision and help with restoration. Everyone can be a part of the movement.

 

citation

Cunningham, Mary Ann, and William Cunningham. Environmental Science. 12th. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 272-286. Print.

Kropp, Robert. "GreenBiz." GreenBiz. (2010): 1-3. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/10/05/humans-caused-66-trillion-environmental-damage-2008>.

 

Resnik, David, and Christopher Portier. "The Hasting Center." Hasting Center. n. page. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://www.thehastingscenter.org/Publications/BriefingBook/Detail.aspx?id=2170>.

Stancheva, Tina. "Swarthmore College Environmental Studies." Swarthmore College Environmental Studies. 2003. (2003): 1-2. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://fubini.swarthmore.edu/~ENVS2/S2003/Tina/overpopulation.html>.

Vaughn, K.J. "Restoration Ecology." Nature Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct 2012. <http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/restoration-ecology-13339059>.

Overpopulation affect on food and water supply

            The world’s population is increasing daily; will there be enough food and water to feed the large population? The world produces lots of food that could feed the whole population plus more.  As much as half the food produced gets wasted either rotting in the markets, the fields and our refrigerators (Walsh 1).  That is a lot of food that gets wasted that could be going to poor countries.  As the years go on we will develop a food and water shortage. It’s like the known saying “You never know what’s good until it’s gone.”  Once food and water supplies get low worldwide, it will have a tremendous effect on everyone.

With human population increasing resources we need to survive such as food and water will eventually decrease. There are many things humans can live without and food and water is not one of them. Individuals can only go so long without food and water before they go into starvation.   According to About.com by year 2030 the demand for food will increase by 50% and drinking water demand will increase by 30% (West 1-2).  What the future entails for the world is very drastic.    Needing food and water may seem unrealistic to think about to people living in the US compared to those in developing countries.   Most Americans take food and water for granted, not realizing how blessed they are to have it. The food shortage is caused by political unrest, economic insecurities, unequal food distribution patterns, decreasing land productivity, and productive cropland shortage (Cordova, Pimentel, Pimentel, and Xuwen 1-4).   About 99% of the world’s food supply comes from the land, which is being lost at high rates (Cordova, Pimentel, Pimentel, and Xuwen 1-4).  To avoid a food crisis, it would be vital to come up with solutions to avoid food shortages from happening.

 

            Developing countries are well aware of the consequences that follow a food shortage.  Worldwide enough food is produced to feed everyone, but unfortuntantly it does not always reach those in need ( Sadik) .  Most developing countries are not been capable of meeting citizens’ basic needs; they are limited on water, land, and food.  The food shortage prediction will hit these countries the hardest.  Nearly 1,000 million people do not get enough food and over 400 million are chronically malnourished (Sadik).  Per caput food production declined in many developing countries, to compensate for local deficits, developing countries are rising food imports ( Sadik).  Developing countries are already struggling for survival, as the population increase it will only get worse.  

            To save lives in the world, plans and strategies must be made. Land is a very important thing to maintain a decent amount of food.   Improved resource management would increase crop yields, prevent land degradation, and provide sustainable livelihoods for millions of rural poor (Sadik).  Also “National population program s should include comprehensive and accessible maternal and child health care programs and family planning services in order to reduce the size of families and improve the health and wellbeing of the entire community” ( Sadik).     Genetic modification and conventional plant breeding should be done to improve drop yields and agriculture productivity as well as developing better water storage (West 1-2).  It is necessary to improve the supply of food and water to avoid a nationwide increase in human deaths.   As the population continues to increase the basic resources should increase as well.

 

Citations

Cordova, Ana, David Pimentel, Marcia Pimentel, and Huang Xuwen. "Impact of Population Growth on Food Supplies and the Environment." Population and Development Review. (1996): 1-4. Web. 4 Oct. 2012. <http://dieoff.org/page57.htm>.

Sadik, N. "Population growth and the food crisis." Agriculture and Consumer Protection n.pag. FAO Corporation Document Repository. Web. 4 Oct 2012. <http://www.fao.org/docrep/U3550t/u3550t02.htm>.

Walsh, Bryan. "Why the Real Victim of Overpopulation Will Be the Environment." Time [Newyork] 26 Oct 2011, 1. Web. 4 Oct. 2012. <http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2097720_2097782_2097814,00.html>.

 

West, Larry. "Population Growth Expected to Cause a Food, Water and Energy Crisis by 2030." About 29 Mar 2009, 1-2. Print. <http://environment.about.com/b/2009/03/23/population-growth-expected-to-cause-a-food-water-and-energy-crisis-by-2030.htm>.