- After checking out Irin news, I found a very interesting case study. The study involves a particular situation that has risen in Somalia. Somalia is currently undergoing a significant drought in which they have many problems that have resulted. The first issue, is a food crisis. The Somali people claim that a “large-scale abnormal outmigration of livestock”. This means that as a result of the drought, animals that they would use for food are dying off. The land of Somalia is not particularly great for farming, so livestock is the main source of food. Of course, the drought has affected farming situations as well. People cannot afford to keep their livestock healthy and are therefore trying to sell what they have. The value of their livestock is also dropping significantly because of this. In order to help the situation, the people of Somalia are moving from rural areas into city towns. This is because the drought has affected people of the lands way more than in the city. In order to control water flow, the government has rationing securities in effect. http://www.irinnews.org/node/255998
- For my second case study, I have chosen to research the air pollution situation within Japan. The air pollution levels in central Tokyo are so serious that thick smog exists in the air at almost all times. This smog as flown over to parts of China as well. The air pollution is listed between 88-98 micrograms per cubic meter. Anything over 80 micrograms per square meter is considered too dangerous to breathe the air outside. This means that every time the people of Tokyo go outside, they are putting their lives at risk. This is a majorly serious problem for the people of Tokyo. In order to lower these pollution levels, Tokyo has taken measures to curb air pollution levels. Believe it or not, since 2001, they have been successful in lower rates over 55% with these restrictions. Many bureaus in Japan regulate the air pollution emissions and place heavy restrictions on transportation uses. Many people in Japan ride bikes and walk to where they need to go in order to keep emission levels low. I find this case study very interesting because the emission levels are so high, yet the people of Japan continue to fight back. https://www.env.go.jp/en/aboutus/pamph/html/00pan090.html
- Back home, I am from New York. As many people know, New York City has a major air pollution problem as well. Although it is not as bad as that in Tokyo, the millions of people that call this city home add to pollution everyday. Taxis, buses, and cars fill the streets of New York, emitting more poison each and everyday. By examining the situation in Tokyo and learning how they have lowered their pollution rate, we can do the same here in New York and attempt the same methods. If we are not successful, Tokyo can become my New York reality. As for the first case study on Somalia and their current drought, I do not share as much of a similar situation. Luckily for me, I have never experienced a water drought in anywhere I have been. In order to ensure that I do not ever have to deal with that nightmare, I can take part in rationing water by only using water when I need it. I can eliminate methods that waste water such as taking long showers; letting sinks run when not needed, and much more. These two case studies were extremely interesting to me. They helped me realize that although I don’t have to deal with these horrific situations, I should still be apart of something to prevent/help these issues.
2 thoughts on “Chase Sandler Module 5”
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Hi, Chase, I’m Ben. I wrote about environmental justice issues, here is a link to my blog https://wp.me/p3RCAy-bwu
I was a little curious about your air quality in New York. Is it a noticeable type of air quality? Does it make strenuous activity difficult? I lived in Southern California for a while and the air quality was also very bad there. We actually had days when the meteorologist would put out a warning to limit outdoor air exposure to less than 15 minutes. You could see a brown haze everywhere. (Visalia, California area). Apparently now cases of “Valley Lung” are becoming very numerous. Some kind of cancer, I believe, related to pesticides and herbicides.
Hi Chase, great post. I find it very interesting how many people (including both of us) had at least one case that had to do with an African country. This makes me wonder if global warming/climate change is affecting these places more, if they are just not as well equipped to deal with it. Either way, it shows that this issue is affecting the world harsher and faster than most people seem to think. I think the second case is also, ironically, what is causing the problems in the first place. This shows how wide spread ecological issues can be. If you would like to check out my post, go to:http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/23/the-ups-and-downs-of-development/