I chose my case study from IRIN News found at http://www.irinnews.org/node/255769. This study examines the potential environmental and human health issues brought on by a melting glacier in combination with mine tailing ponds. Located in Kyrgyzstan is the biggest open pit mine in Central Asia. The majority of the mine belongs to Canada’s Centerra Gold which has unfortunately ignored the warning signs of the melting glaciers nearby. While this glacier continues to melt, the water levels rise, which could potentially wipe out a majority of the mine’s tailings pond. If this occurs there will be chemicals such as cyanide mixed into the Kumtor River. This water is frequently used by millions of people for everyday tasks and contamination could be detrimental. This aspect of development demonstrates the negative affects that development can have on surrounding communities, which was discussed in Module 5. This shows how “developed” countries are taking advantage of the people and environment in “undeveloped” countries.
For my second case study I chose a piece from GOV.UK found at https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/a-community-built-from-within. This study follows a mother named Conny showing how she is bettering the future for her children through environmental work and receiving money to do so. Located in South Africa many men and women are creating a sustainable and self-sufficient community one day at a time. The UKaid has funded a Community Works Program to help the people of South Africa out of poverty while also creating a more sustainable environment for the future. Conny is currently working on a community project to create a leisure space for children which has given her an increased income to buy food and clothes for her own children. In Module 5 we also learned about sustainable development which is perfectly represented in this case study. We can clearly see an effort to create a sustainable future while also aiding “undeveloped” countries with issues such as poverty.
When I lived in Shanghai, China I saw many similarities between the affects of development on Kyrgyzstan. Due to increased pollution brought on by increased population, Shanghai suffered from high water contamination. This contamination rendered the water unusable for human consumption, which is a high possibility for Kyrgyzstan. The community of Shanghai also differed greatly from those in South Africa in their effort for sustainable development. The population of Shanghai seems to show no desire for sustainability and continues to use resources without thought of the future. We learned that it is important to be aware of your environmental surroundings because development can hurt the environment thus hurting human survival. We also learned that sustainable development is both simple and very achievable just as in the case of Conny. Both lessons could potentially help advance development in Shanghai.
2 thoughts on “Module 5: Can a melting glacier potentially poison millions? And is sustainability truly that simple?”
Hi Karissa my name is Joe, I am a World Campus student starting my Junior year, here is a link to my post https://wp.me/p3RCAy-bCv
Your first paragraph is similar to the case study I found through the PSU library; in my case study, Mexico City had an increase population led to pollution of the water and sewer system.
Karissa,
My name is Peter Han and my intended major is Mechanical Engineering here at Penn State. I wrote my post on the effect that oil had on a community in Nigeria as well as the country of Ecuador. Your first case study caught my eye as it dealt with the problems that could be caused by chemicals entering the river. My first case study also talked about how the drilling of oil in Nigeria caused the river to be contaminated and impact the way the community was able to get food and water. You also discussed this as a problem you saw when you lived in Shanghai, China. The impact of pollution to rivers can be devastating for many communities and change the way that they are able to operate.
Here is a link to my blog: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/26/the-impact-of-oil-peter-han/
Hi Karissa my name is Joe, I am a World Campus student starting my Junior year, here is a link to my post https://wp.me/p3RCAy-bCv
Your first paragraph is similar to the case study I found through the PSU library; in my case study, Mexico City had an increase population led to pollution of the water and sewer system.
Karissa,
My name is Peter Han and my intended major is Mechanical Engineering here at Penn State. I wrote my post on the effect that oil had on a community in Nigeria as well as the country of Ecuador. Your first case study caught my eye as it dealt with the problems that could be caused by chemicals entering the river. My first case study also talked about how the drilling of oil in Nigeria caused the river to be contaminated and impact the way the community was able to get food and water. You also discussed this as a problem you saw when you lived in Shanghai, China. The impact of pollution to rivers can be devastating for many communities and change the way that they are able to operate.
Here is a link to my blog: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/26/the-impact-of-oil-peter-han/