1. In a paragraph of 200 to 350 words, describe a factor that threatens biodiversity and why it’s bad. What can we do to help stop threats to biodiversity? What have we done to stop the threats?
2. In a paragraph of 150 to 250 words, describe the pros and cons to biodiversity conservation.
3. In a paragraph of 150 to 250 words, describe what happens when a species becomes extinct. How does it influence the negative feedback loop?

Answers:

1. I’m going to use overharvesting as a threat to biodiversity because globalization has had a massive influence on our “hunting and gathering.” With new technology we are able to transport mass amounts of goods and preserve them for longer. For instance, we have bigger nets that allow us to capture more fish which are then stored in a large refrigeration unit on a big ship for transport. Also, we are clearing out large amounts of land in order to mass produce crops. We now have certain chemicals or pesticides that preserve foods longer, allowing us to transport and keep food longer. Overharvesting of fish causes a disruption in evolution and reproduction. If we continuously overharvest then certain species will become extinct. This disrupts nature because other consequences are at hand. A loss in a predatory fish means that there will be an overabundance of prey fish. Also, if we continuously cut down forests we are destroying certain species’ habitats. This can cause an extinction of different species which then, will disrupt the evolutionary aspect. We can do certain things to try and stop threats to biodiversity such as; enforcing strict nature reserves, national parks, protecting natural monuments, creating habitat/species management areas, protecting landscape/seascape and managing a resource protected area. These types of actions have been taken. For instance, Yellowstone National Park is mentioned in this module as an area that protected nature by restricting human uses with it.

2. A pro to biodiversity conversation is saving the different species of nature and not disrupting the negative feedback loop. The conservation of biodiversity does not cause a threat, meaning that species will not become extinct. It also allows these beautiful habitats to survive so we can appreciate them for years to come. We could also use these areas for recreational purposes.  Some of these conservation methods are intended to balance ecosystem protection with human recreation; such as national parks. A con is the issue with the social justices. National parks do not allow any form of extraction, thus denying people of resources. An example that the module gives is how the Native Americans in Montana were negatively affected by the production of Glacier National Park. The Native Americans once lived in that area, where they hunted and gathered, but then were denied those opportunities once the park came about.

3. When a species become extinct it has a massive effect on the negative feedback loop. Everything in the environment or certain habitats are interlinked. It’s similar to a chain. When one species dies out or becomes extinct, it influences other species thus creating a disturbance in the negative feedback loop. For instance, in a rainforest the vegetation carries the nutrients rather than the soil. The nutrients from the plants are transferred through the water since the soil is not fertile. This means that once a rainforest is cut down, it is nearly impossible to grow another due to the lack of fertility in the soil. Another example is the Cod issue in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. The fishery in that area was an important commercial fishery for hundreds of years. However, the mass amount of fishing led to a massive population drop in predatory fish which caused a massive population increase in prey fish.

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2. Global warming is an event that has led to many political, financial and ethical conflicts. Nations were trying to negotiate a climate treaty but agreed on different areas. They were concerned about the billions of dollars being redirected in order to completely adjust the economy into a low-carbon one. This means that the standard of living must change. For instance, Saudi Arabia, which is one of the richest countries, would have to turn their economy away from being petroleum based. This would be difficult since they are the world’s second biggest oil producer. In the event of trying to negotiate a climate treaty, the U.S decided to send out Wikilinks and gather information on other countries. They used this information to bully the countries into using the Copenhagen Accord. Other countries also found out that the United States was bribing other countries and trying to leave out certain countries that they feel cannot handle the financial “aid.” Beijing failed to reach a deal at Copenhagen, whereas the United States and many other countries – due to the United States’ influence – used the Copenhagen Accord. However, the Copenhagen accord cannot guarantee that the global greenhouse cuts needed to avoid dangerous warming will occur. The Copenhagen Accord was mainly pushed by the United States and was made to benefit the United States, one of the biggest polluters. Due to the Wikilinks, the United States succeeded in having 116 countries associate themselves with the Accord. Other countries oppose the Accord because it will negatively impact the extension of the Kyoto Protocol.

3. I feel that the U.S takes advantage of its power. It has an anthropocentric view. We have an issue with global warming and our bi-products are the cause of the issue. The methane and carbon dioxide that we produce are released into the air causing a trap for radiation in the troposphere. This is causing the Earth’s surface to warm but not the core. The United States is violating privacy by using Wikilinks and they’re using the information to fuel their own agenda. It does not seem that countries are actually taking into account the severity of the issue. They’re more interested in the financial and political benefits. This is a collective action problem because we must work together and actually solve the issue at hand. If we’re persuading other countries to join a proposal that is not made to actually change the economy, then nothing will change. I suppose it is good that we have access to this information because we can see the political and financial agenda behind things. However, I do not think it is necessarily right to practically hack into people’s conversations. Just because some people are making unethical choices does not give us the right to make them as well. It seems that the monetary funds are certainly an area of interest but not for the intended cause. If it were, then other countries, such as the island countries, would see this money also. By not attending to the problem, we are testing our Earth’s resilience. If we keep testing it, we will reach a state of instability.

1. My town of Old Forge, PA has the lower chance of seeing natural hazards. We are between zone 1 and zone 2 for hailstorms, indicating a low frequency and intensity. I know we do have hail storms once in a while due to the colder weather in the winter. We are in zone 1 regarding winter storms. This seems reasonable since our winter is only a few months and is far from the coldest area. It looks like we are in zone 2 in regard to tornados. I know my step-dad told me a story about a tornado ripping off his garage door a while ago. We are in zone 1 regarding wildfires. This, I would think is because we do have woods but we are not densely surrounded by them. I like the Nathan map for this. However, it is slightly difficult to determine where Pennsylvania is exactly.

2. I chose a volcanic eruption in Mexico. My hometown cannot experience this due to the fact that there are no volcanoes around here. They are usually located near tectonic plate boundaries and are known to be in the ring of fire, which is near the pacific. The volcanic eruption reached a height of over 2 miles. In respect to my hometown, that would consume most of it since Old Forge is only 3.5 miles large. The volcano is about 70 km away from Mexico City, which is 573 miles squared. Clearly much larger than Old Forge. If this volcanic eruption were to happened at the same scale in my hometown, it would be demolished. A big thing in my hometown that would contribute to vulnerability would be wealth. We have a small area of project housing and we also have a lot of higher end developments. If a disaster happened, the wealthy would have more resources but they would end up with more monetary issues due to the amount of money they would have lost if the disaster took their home and their possessions. The poor lose less in monetary value but they may suffer in terms of sickness. If a disaster happened, they may not have the means to get medical attention or they may not be physically capable to endure the disaster. There are a lot of children in Old Forge which would also be a vulnerability. Children cannot endure a disaster on their own, they need support from older friends or family members. A way to reduce the vulnerability is to see the disaster coming before it happens with meteorology. When we see this we can evacuate possibly or make sure that our emergency response teams are prepared. We could also look to the future and prepare for disasters such as using building materials that can withstand certain potential disasters.

3. Two other hazards I could think of that can affect my hometown are biological and hydrological hazards. I hear many people in my town complaining about the landfill and how it can have negative impacts on our health. Whereas, there is no research done on this particular landfill in this particular place to indicate that it is causing health defects, I can understand their concern. There is research out there that proves that air pollution can harm our brains and cause respiratory infections. Also, I have experienced a couple of floods in my area. There was only one severe one and that was a few towns over in West Pittston and many surrounding areas following the Susquehanna River. Houses were floating down the Susquehanna River and others were flooded up to the second floor. People were cleaning up the area for weeks and many houses and businesses were lost.

.“Corrected West Pittston Flood September 8th and 9th, 2011,” Youtube video 5:06, recap of West Pittston flood, posted on September 10^th, 2011, posted by “RoxyDtv”, March 31, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qDGbqW6d7U

4. There are several actions that can be taken to reduce vulnerability in my town. We could prepare for potential issues by watching the news and keeping up with the weather. This will keep us updated on any potential threatening weather conditions. We could use our education by writing or orally dictating if there is a disaster or hazard coming. We could also make sure that we have effective rescue teams that are prepared in case of emergency. We could also use building materials that can withstand certain disasters. Everyone can help in this. We could all watch the weather and be cautious. We need medical help and engineers to help in terms of rescues and buildings. I can use my education and watch the news. If I see that we are at a potential risk for a disaster, I could alert people by social media, phone or in person.

1a. I live in a small town in North-Eastern Pennsylvania called Old Forge. It’s a small town between the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area. I would consider it an automobile suburb because the main way of transportation is by car. We have a main street that has some restaurants but in order for entertainment, we have to drive 15 to 20 minutes. The town is so small that we could walk places but most people don’t. It’s not a preferred method of transportation, which is not good. Our population in the 2013 census was recorded at 8,264 residents in a 3.5 mile radius. I’ve lived in OF for about 15 years and love it but hate it. There is not a lot to do even if we do drive to surrounding areas. If we really want to have some fun we have to travel to Philadelphia or NYC. There is also a lot of heavy drinking in my area due to lack of things to do.

2. I would like to compare Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts to my hometown, Old Forge, PA. There are differences because Beacon Hill has a more walking oriented structure than my hometown. The module states that residents in Beacon Hill choose to walk because it is a more “attractive option”, however, it does talk about a main street where there are plenty of things to do. This is where the residents would walk to. My town has a main street too but not as many things to do on it. However, Old Forge is such a small area that walking should be a useful means of getting around. It would reduce pollution from automobiles and increase health in individuals by exercising and not breathing in so many pollutants.

3. In this second example, I would like to use Curitiba, Brazil. Curitiba’s population is hugely more than my hometown’s but I like the idea of the bus. We have a bus in my area but it’s not used by many due to the lack of places it goes. We don’t need a bus system as large or frequent as Curitiba’s but if we use it more frequently we could reduce road traffic, cost and pollution. If my town, or this relative area, created bus systems that would shuttle people to the movies or to bars people would be much more likely to use that method! Not only will this system reduce pollution but it can also aid in exercise and reduce frequency in D.U.Is. If everyone is dropped off at a communitive area, then they have to walk the rest of the way to get where they need to be.

1a.     The way I eat is heavily influenced by my family, my boyfriend and the gym I go to. I always used to go for convenience, until my family told me what hidden ingredients were in convenient foods. I then tried refraining from convenience and attempted to eat according to ingredients. I started to look on the back of boxes and see what ingredients I knew and didn’t know. If I did not know the ingredients or they were some ridiculously sounding word, I would not purchase the product. After this, I met my boyfriend who started making me dinner and taking me to the gym. He tries making healthy, balanced meals for good health.  Most people at the gym talk about their diets and how they eat as well, which is now a similar way to how I eat.

1b.     There are so many social norms applied to eating whether it be for enjoyment, health or necessity. The way I eat falls into the health category. I eat similarly to the people who try to maintain a healthy life and take care of themselves. I think the reason people do this is not only for physical or mental strength, but also for the prevention of disease. Eating well and exercising increases your body’s capacity to fight off disease which will hopefully result in a longer life. This social norm is massively connected to choosing the right foods. You want to eat a balanced meal and you don’t want any artificial ingredients or chemicals to alter the structure of your body. In carefully picking food choices according to this social norm, you will hopefully have all of the positive effects.

2a.     My food choice can coincide with the societal issue of obesity, which is an overconsumption of food. There are many possible causes for obesity but one that I will focus on is consuming too much and burning not enough. In order to maintain a healthy weight, you have to burn as many calories as you eat or more. Another societal issue I can focus on is genetically modified organisms. This is where companies are choosing what characteristics they like about plants and animals and breeding them accordingly. Our bodies are not made to ingest genetically modified foods. There’s a reason Europe is hostile toward the whole concept, it’s not natural. This is the reason I pay attention to ingredients and always choose fresh fruits and vegetables. I like to know what I’m putting in my body. I’m not going to say what the social norm should be, everybody is entitled to eat however they want, it’s their body. However, I think people should look out for their bodies and try to maintain a healthy living. This will hopefully prevent future suffering.

1.     I’m going to talk about a case study about deforestation in Madagascar. This case study is a perfect example on how development could be good and/or bad. Historically, deforestation began when Madagascar was annexed as a French colony in 1896. The people were not happy with the political agendas going on and the famine that followed so they ran into the woods, where they practiced shifting cultivation for survival. This is where a certain area would be cleared out for crops and used for a short time.  Another example is when citizens were introduced to vaccines which helped significantly raise the population. An area having good health is a sign of good development; however, the resources were being depleting due to the rapid population increase. A way that they’re trying to save some forests is by creating parks and they are using fees generated from tourism to support local villages. http://personal.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/defor-mad.html

2.     I found a case study about the nuclear reactors in Chernobyl. In 1986 a nuclear reactor malfunctioned in Chernobyl and residents had to be evacuated. The radioactivity decreased the development due to the large effects it had. People had to be evacuated and were exposed to radiation which caused health effects. It isn’t necessarily proven that the illnesses are results from the radiation, but in children thyroid cancers have increased massively since 1986. More than 70 villages were destroyed along with a lot of farmland. This means that the land can no longer be used for any kind of productive output because it’s contaminated. The reactor was housed in a concrete tomb but the tomb has been deteriorating, causing more radiation to leak out, which would further negatively impact the environment and development. In order to fix this, the U.S., Canada and the European Community are negotiating with Ukraine and Russia to close down all Chernobyl-like reactors to prevent any future potentially accidents like the one in 1986.

http://www.mhhe.com/Enviro-Sci/CaseStudyLibrary/Topic-Based/CaseStudy_Chernobyl.pdf

3.    I live near Scranton Pennsylvania where there are not a lot of woods and I’ve never seen a nuclear reactor. I do not see crops around here so I cannot say there is a similarity between here and the shifting cultivation in Madagascar. However, there are a lot of hospitals and doctors around that have vaccines which helps us stay healthy. As we know, health is one of the tools used to measure development. Another way I see a similarity between us and Madagascar is the use of parks! We have state parks that are used to conserve the forests and we can go hiking, kayaking and exploring in them! These activities also promote good health along with keeping the forests preserved. In contrast to Chernobyl, I do not see any nuclear reactors around this area, which I find a good thing due to the possible detrimental effects. I have seen windmills close by though, which use natural resources without the threat of depletion and also keep us healthy by not using harmful resources.

1a.     I live in a small town in Lackawanna County PA, called Old Forge. The sewer line is gravity fed, which means that the water runs however gravity flows, which is downward. There are pipe lines under every street. When the water flows from the house, it travels downward through the pipes then meets under main street and runs down that pipe. The water then empties into bodies of water. The two particular bodies of water in this case are St. Johns Creek and the Lackawanna river. The water flows to these places because creeks and rivers are the lowest spots, where gravity leads. From the creek or river the water goes through an interceptor pipe and then travels to the sewer authority. The water is then treated at the Lackawanna sewer authority. Then the cycle reverses itself with the treated water. It starts at the top in the pipe system then flows downward through our pipes, down the drain, then down the pipelines under the roads to the river or creek.

1b. water consumtion chart ( I hope this link works, it wouldn’t let me attach it as a picture)

1c.     Well, after realizing how much water I use a day, this is going to be quite difficult. I would say the top two priorities for me are hygiene and eating/drinking. Now, when I eat, I typically don’t make things that involve water. Mainly, because I’m a college student and I’m lazy (in terms of cooking) and poor and have no time. I would try and stay hydrated which would require about 80 ounces of water, this leaves me 1 gallon and 48 ounces left. Whatever I choose to eat will either require no water or an extremely limited amount. In terms of hygiene, I would probably wash myself with a bucket of water and a sponge. Also, I leave the water running when I brush my teeth, which I would not be able to do if I were living off of two gallons. So, I would wet my toothbrush, brush my teeth and then rinse it off quickly. Using the least amount of water possible. I would absolutely fail at this, if it were an option. If it weren’t- well, I’d have to make it work. This experiment is 2 gallons of water compared to the almost 200 gallons I use a day. Geography matters in water use because it dictates the amount of water used. Developing countries has less access, therefore they cannot use as much as developed countries. It also matters in the way that water is transported. We have a good sewage system with pipelines transporting water by gravity. Whereas other areas have no developed such things, thus resulting in less access which means less water use.

1. Is it more important to be a good person or to perform good acts (virtue ethics vs. action ethics)? I think being a good person and performing good acts are both important. I think maybe being a good person is more important because the first thing to start off with is intentions and good intentions are always the best.  We want to feel good so being a good person to others would in turn, make them feel good as well. Performing this act of making other feel good is action ethics. I believe most of us are taught to have good virtues and wanting other to feel good as well is important, that constitutes altruism. However, just because we have good virtues doesn’t always mean we act upon them. I want what’s best for the environment but I find myself not doing everything that I can to help. For instance, recycling is important and helps the environment. However, when I live by myself I don’t recycle. Why? It’s easier to throw everything in one bag and hurl it into the dumpster. I know what I’m doing and I feel bad for it. In opposition, I mostly believe that performing good acts almost requires you to be a good person. My cat was using a critically injured bird as a chew toy outside the other day and I felt awful so I went and grabbed the bird. I put it in a box with towels to make it comfortable even thought I knew it was going to die. I did this because I cared. In contrast, some people that are in trouble with the law are forced to do community service, such as picking up garbage on the highways and such. This doesn’t mean that they are a good person; it’s simply something they have to do to avoid other consequences.

5. Do the pleasure and pain of non-human animals matter as much as the pleasure and pain of humans (speciesism)? I believe that the pleasure and pain of ALL animals is equally important. Speciesism is very complicated, I believe. I do understand the thought process of people thinking we are of the “hierarchy” of animals. They tend to think this because technically, we are. We build structures, create economies, have higher levels of thinking, and well, just look around. However, I don’t believe that this undermines other animals. I think that every animal understand suffering. They know when they’re hurt and when they’re dying. We can feel that pain, what’s to say the animal can’t? It has organs and when things go wrong in the body it naturally hurts. If a cat is ill, the cat cries when you touch it and lays there, almost completely inactive. Why? Because they know it hurts when they’re touched and they know it hurts when they move. Animals are also more helpless than we are. We have doctors and medicine, and technically they do too but that’s if a human takes them. Who are we to say that we are more important that another living being? Shouldn’t we be compassionate to the hurt and suffering of a more helpless animal? I’ve spoken a lot about pain. But, if I wouldn’t want to see an animal in pain that basically means I want the animal to be in pleasure. I’m happier than a pig in mud when I see my cat happy and playing and purring. It makes me happy. All animals are living and all of our emotional states are or should be equally important. This is just my vision, I understand there are others.
6. Is my own life worth more than the lives of others, the same, or less (selfishness vs. altruism)? I don’t believe my life is more important than anyone else’s. I’ve tried thinking of multiple circumstances where my mind may change and I can’t think differently. I value human life and I had to see pain and suffering. So if I were ever in a circumstance where it was me or another person, there is about a 99.9% chance that I would sacrifice myself for the other person. No matter who it was. I understand not everyone will think this way and even I may be wrong. Our body has the natural sympathetic nervous system which gives us our “fight or flight”. So I might say that I’ll sacrifice myself, however I don’t know what I’ll actually do because I don’t know what my body will tell me to do. We are instinctive. In terms of ethics, I would say I’m altruistic in this particular manner, I believe I value my life less than other’s lives. However, in other instances of less severity I could be more selfish. I believe it’s human nature to be selfish and altruistic. We’re complicated beings and emotions and feelings are one of the most complex things.

In this diagram I differentiated between what went into creating the product and the environmental, social and economical effects of the product. In the creation of the product I will focus on what materials are used and their effects. In the other aspect, I will talk about the health benefits, social benefits for people, and financial benefits which will in turn help the economy. Firewood was collected from the environment which had an impact on the tree supply. If we’re constantly destroying the landscape we’re altering a system. We altered the landscape into a human ­environment landscape. We were involuntarily testing the resilience and threatening sustainability. Also, the collecting of firewood has a social and economical downfall, children. They were going to school hungry and unprepared due to their lack of time for studying and homework. This affects the economy by having less educated citizens and disrupts the children on a social scale. Biogas is a better alternative due to the environmental, social and economical benefits. The bi-­product is gas which enters into homes through a pipe. This provides much cleaner air which results in less negative health implications. The products used for biogas are environmentally friendly: concrete, brick and cow dung. The brick is locally made, which is giving back to the economy by buying the brick and not altering the landscape by human destruction. Cow dung is a natural product from the environment that’s used, this creates no need to manipulate the landscape, threatening it’s resilience or sustainability.

Marten’s diagrams are more complex. He links the effects of ecosystems, such as how the human social system influences the ecosystem and vice versa. Ours are similar by him and I speaking about how products affect humans and how humans affect products. For instance, he talks about how human population affects the amount of cooking fuel needed which needs to come from the environment, and how the bi-products get recycled, such as burning. To be honest I think there are similarities and differences because he has had much more practice in this area. He went into further detail and made his diagram on a more global scale, like a commodity chain. What can be learned by examining the similarities and differences is that much more goes into this than we think. I did mine on what seems like a very small scale, when in actuality it’s a much bigger scale. There are several levels of factors that need to be examined and appreciated to fully understand.

My name is Alexandra Herron and I live in Old Forge. I’ve spent most of my life in Old Forge but my earlier years in Exeter. I’m currently majoring in Early Childhood Education which is grades Pre-k through 4th. This course is a General Education course that I need but I would like to learn more about the relationship between humans and the environment. I had a geography class in high school that I learned practically nothing in, besides which states are which. Aside from being a full time college student, I work for my family’s auto parts business. I’ve thought of minoring in business in case I choose to take my career in that direction but I’ve realized that kids make me happy.

I feel a little fuzzy about what the correlation between geography and politics are but I would like to learn more about that. I see that geography plays a major part  in the supply chain which makes sense when you read about it. We take a lot of products from the environment which then have to go through logistics to reach their final destination, which is being consumed by other countries. I would like to know the severity of extinction due to mass demand. The extinction of living things and deforestation, how bad are the effects? I think pollution would be a good thing to address, since our daily habits have a major impact on the environment. Maybe we could go over alternative choices that we have that are more beneficial to our environment and the air we breathe. This would be important because it would make us and the environment more healthy.