Part 1: Relate the concepts and information from the module to a relevant global example. Describe the example and how it would affect ecosystems.

Part 2: Repeat part 1 with a different example. 

Part 3: Describe ways in which you can help solve these problems.

1: Like the module touched on, the collapse of honey bees is an extremely pressing issue. Just last week #SaveTheBees was trending worldwide on Twitter. In many ways, humans have an anthropocentric view when it comes to bees: they’re a nuisance. Humans kill bees thinking they are protecting themselves from being stung. However, we are targeting the wrong bees. Honey bees are essentially harmless insects that pollinate crucial plants. Without bees, the produce section at our local grocery store or market would be barren. It would be devastating to major crops that are key to survival and enjoyment. Honey bees are disappearing as a result of human activity. As humans continue to spray powerful pesticides, bees will continue to die. The continuation of this disappearance would cause a drastic decline in pollination, causing the entire agricultural ecosystem to be affected. Daily items such as coffee, fruits, butter, and cotton would be a thing of the past. Humans need to be anthropocentric and ecocentric in order to reverse this problem. Anthropocentric because if the honey bees go extinct, our lives as we know it would change. Most of our necessary crops would not be pollinated. Ecocentric because we need to see the importance of bees in their ecosystems and the damaging role of pesticides on the environment.

2. A second threat to biodiversity that I have noticed in the world lately is also caused by humans. An overwhelming amount of trash in the ocean has lead to the death of thousands of sea turtles. Sea turtles often eat discarded plastic or get plastic tangled around their neck. If the plastic doesn’t choke them, it will prohibit them from swimming or weigh them down. Ocean plastic pollution has not only caused detrimental damage to sea turtles, but also to sea birds and other species of marine life. National geographic reports that there is a staggering 5.25 trillion pieces of trash floating in our oceans. It is easy to imagine the ocean as vibrant coral reefs with schools of fish swimming in harmony, but the immense amount of trash being dumped into the ocean is clouding that image. The ocean is known for being a bio-diverse environment, with millions of species living there. It is important that humans keep the ocean clean so these ecosystems can thrive as usual.

Video: These people found a sea turtle with a plastic fork stuck in its nose.

3: In order to help solve these two major problems, humans need to start caring more about the environment. Harmful pesticides are not only damaging to human health, but are detrimental to ecosystems. The threat of bees disappearing is reason enough for these pesticides to be stopped. Also, humans need to be more attuned to the benefit of honey bees. They are not out to sting you, simply to pollinate necessary crops. Honey bees are different from wasps, and understanding this difference could help the species. As for the sea turtles and marine life, its simple: don’t throw your trash into the ocean or leave it on the beach. Throw away trash in a trash can and don’t litter. While it isn’t proven that your trash won’t end up in the ocean anyway, it is still an improvement.

This diagram illustrates the process behind the Copenhagen Accord, beginning with the overarching problem of global climate change. Climate change fosters the need for global and diplomatic change, which happens at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in 2009. At this summit, the Copenhagen Accord is created to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but that cannot be guaranteed, which is why the term “target” was appropriate here. Signing a global treaty on climate was a difficult task, and many countries needed persuading. The accord ultimately worked in the United State’s favor, which is why the US provided financial aid to countries who were affected by climate change. This either caused mistrust and skepticism on whether this compensation would actually happen, or it resulted in political support. 140 countries declared association to the treaty, which falls in favor of their 100-150 country target.

In my own opinion, I am someone who cares deeply about climate change and understands the urgent need for solutions. It concerns me that some people still believe climate change is a myth. Although I do not necessarily agree with the threats, spying, and overall corruption that seemed to take place under wraps, I’m not entirely surprised. Negotiating a solution to climate change with over one hundred countries in the mix is bound to cause issues. I think it is beneficial that the cables were made public because it is very eyeopening to see how countries behaved in this situation, especially the United States. I’m not surprised by the United States policing other countries in order to reap the benefits since we are a huge influence on global diplomacy. I agree that it was crucial for this accord to be signed, but threatening, hacking, spying, and promising money that may or may not be seen is not the most ethical way to go about it. It may be extremely unrealistic, but negotiations should be genuine and made with purpose to benefit all countries involved. For example, in order to get a country to sign the treaty, the US could have provided solar or wind energy sources to that country. If the US was going to provide millions of dollars in financial aid, they could put that money towards something that would help solve climate change. This problem ultimately comes down to ethics, and I think the US handed this in an unethical way.

1. Being from Doylestown Pennsylvania, I am less susceptible to extreme natural hazards. According to the Nathan World Map of Natural Hazards, I am in zone 0 for Earthquakes, zone 1 for hailstorms, zone 1 for winter storms, zone 1 for wildfires, and have no threat of volcanoes. The only major threat I see for Doylestown is that the coast, which is about 90 minutes away, is vulnerable to zone 4 tropical cyclones. This makes sense since Doylestown was affected by Hurricane Sandy, and experienced prolonged power outages. As for how well suited the map is, I think it does a good job indicating certain risks for certain areas. It is clear to read, however, it would be clearer with the ability to zoom in and focus on one particular area.
2. On March 31st at 3:25AM, Tulsa, Oklahoma experienced multiple tornado touchdowns. There has been reports of lofted debris, structural damages, trees down, and nine reported injuries. Transportation has been stalled due to closed roads. According to the Nathan World Map, my area appears to be in zone 3 for tornadoes, and Tulsa falls in zone 4. It surprised me that the entire East Coast is in zone 3 since I have never seen a Tornado in my life time, or even heard of one occurring near me. Despite this, it appears that my area is vulnerable to a similar hazard experienced in Tulsa. The damage from this event has been classified as “medium.” The center of the tornado was just minutes from the city of Tulsa, an urban area much larger and more built-up than Doylestown. Had a tornado of similar qualities touched down in Doylestown, it would face less structural damage due to the size difference of the towns. In retrospect, Tulsa is a city and Doylestown is a small town, so Tulsa would experience a more costlier and laborious recovery due to the difference in population size and structural landscape. However, since Doylestown rarely experiences Tornadoes, our structures are probably less resilient to withstand a tornado. Population wise, elderly and children would be more at risk due to their lack of mobility and/or education. In order to reduce vulnerability in Doylestown’s residential areas, for example, it would be productive to make sure each house has a tornado shelter. For example, every house should have a safe and secure basement.
3. The most severe natural hazards that Doylestown has experienced are the occasional hurricanes. Doylestown is relatively close to the coast, and therefore experiences impacts of these coastal storms. The earliest, and arguably most severe, happened when I was just three years old. Hurricane Floyd struck the North East and caused major flooding in Doylestown. According to my mom, both of my older brothers were sent to school the day of the storm. My mother ended up driving in torrential rain to pick my eldest brother up, and my other brother took the bus home as usual. The bus ended up being stalled due to flooding, and my brother was stuck on the bus until my dad braved the storm to pick him up as well. Once they got home, they noticed our basement had completely flooded. While I don’t remember most details of this storm, I do remember walking down the stairs and seeing a basement completely under water. Every year during hurricane season there is always a storm that poses a threat, but typically ends up simply being a rainy day. The next two hurricanes that I remember being substantial were Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy. I remember Irene being incredibly windy, and Doylestown was urged to sleep away from windows in case of glass shattering. We ended up not experiencing too much damage, just some torn shingles from our roof. Hurricane Sandy, however, was more problematic. Doylestown was without power for over three days, and school was canceled for about a week. Trees were down, roads were closed, unfortunately we even experienced some fatalities. It appears that hurricanes pose a serious threat to Doylestown. (Resource list: My mother’s recollection of Hurricane Floyd and my own experience.)
4. Given that Doylestown is vulnerable to hurricanes, it is crucial that our homes and structures can withstand heavy winds and flooding. Strong windows help provide safety from fast winds and sump pumps prevent basement flooding. If there is potential for a serious hurricane to strike, cancel school and don’t leave kids stranded on school buses. Educate those living near rivers the risk they face once water levels rise. Encourage people to seek shelter once a storm is coming and not to drive once it hits. Be mindful of trees that have potential to fall during strong winds. The borough of Doylestown needs to be effective in informing the residents when a storm is coming and how severe it will be. As for myself, I will make sure myself and my loved ones are safe, and help others in need during recovery.

I am from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, a suburban town roughly 40 minutes outside of Philadelphia. If I were to classify Doylestown as one of the categories from the module, I would call it a streetcar suburb. While there are sidewalks aligning the town and surrounding neighborhoods, driving a car is the social norm to get from one point to another. My neighborhood is about a 15 minute car ride into downtown Doylestown, so walking would not be an option due to distance. The population of Doylestown is 8,337. While there are buses that run from Doylestown to Philadelphia, these options are not widely used. I have enjoyed growing up in Doylestown, but never critically thought about the amount of dependency I have on my car. Doylestown itself is very pedestrian friendly, but in order to get downtown I need my car, which is counterintuitive.

A city I have chosen to discuss is New York City. New York is about 80 miles North of Doylestown, and I have a lot of family members who live there currently. None of those family members have a car. In contrast to Doylestown, New York City is very pedestrian friendly, and relies heavily on mass transit. My cousin takes the subway every morning to get to work, completely eliminating the need for a car. When looking at New York City’s streets on a map, they literally look like a grid. The urban planning in New York’s case is very practical in its straight and parallel streets. Every form of dining, entertainment, shopping, or work, is easily accessible by foot or by mass transit. This is different from Doylestown in that all of Doylestown’s local hotspots are accessible through car. It would be more sustainable for Doylestown to become more pedestrian friendly and less reliant on cars.

The second city I have chosen is Copenhagen. Copenhagen’s unique social norm of cycling is something Doylestown should strive towards. Riding bicycles has become a part of this city’s culture. In Doylestown, if I wanted to ride a bike somewhere I would have to be mindful of cars potentially hurting me. Recently, however, Doylestown has been adding more bike paths. In my neighborhood in particular, a new bike path was added last year. People are often seen walking their dogs and riding their bikes along this path. In my opinion, biking is a very pleasant mode of transportation, and something I would take advantage of if there were more bike paths. I think Doylestown’s dependency on cars could be reduced if there were options to safely ride bikes. By adding more bike paths, the environment would benefit along with the health of Doylestown’s residents.

All my life I have been an extremely picky eater. If a food seems unappetizing or has a strange texture, I will not eat it. Part of me doesn’t label this as a choice, because I wish I could eat more without the anxiety of trying something new. This was pretty much inherent in me, and I didn’t experience people being picky on purpose until I met some of my close friends. Four of my close friends are vegans. They resemble the pickiness that I have, only instead of aversion, they are picky based on their ethics. All of my friends are very caring towards animals and the environment. They are following the social norm that vegans are making this sacrifice for the sake of the animals and the Earth. It is arguable that we live in a society that favors meat eaters, so becoming a vegan is like defying that social norm. By defying the fact that it is more socially normal to eat meat, vegans develop that pickiness to avoid eating what is readily available.

While I am not vegan, my friends do inspire me to cut down on the amounts of meat that I eat. Not only is it beneficial to the environment and safer for the animals, but it is also a much healthier option. A serious societal issue, especially in America, is obesity. Going vegan is a choice that requires eating more greens and vegetables, therefore leading a healthier lifestyle. Eating meat, red meat especially, causes higher cholesterol. Becoming vegan eliminates that risk. Not only does this lifestyle choice limit obesity, but it is safer for the environment. Like the module described, factory farms are a key contributor to environmental problems. By not eating animal products, vegans are boycotting these factory farms. While the social norms of our society favor meat eaters, it would make more sense to do the opposite. Favoring vegans would mean favoring healthy lifestyles and a healthy environment.

According to AllAfrica, a news source spanning across the African continent, central towns in Namibia are predicted to run out of water by September of 2016. Three main dams are suppliers of water to the town, and unless it rains, the town will run dry. These water shortages would affect households, businesses, and the economy greatly. Namibia has been in a severe drought and unfortunately, there is little rainfall predicted to save this situation. To fix this crisis developmentally, the towns must reduce consumption and build underground water resources. Saving water by 20% could prolong water presence for another six months. Also, recycling water from sewages could ensure water usage for a longer period of time. Besides reduction, building underground taps could also prevent this shortage. Since majority of the water loss is due to evaporation, moving it to an underground aquifer would prevent this. These ideas directly relate to the idea of sustainable development from the module. Sustainable methods are being created to prevent shortages.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201601130754.html

Another water crisis has been occurring right here in the United States. A common discussion in the news lately has been about the lead water in Flint, Michigan. As a cost-cutting measure, Flint began getting its water from the Flint River rather than Lake Huron. As a result, residents began experiencing high levels of lead pouring from their tap. The lead water has led to skin lesions, hair loss, high levels of lead in the blood system, vision loss, memory loss, and psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and learning disabilities in children. It is predicted that this problem will affect residents for years. Daily household tasks such as bathing, cleaning, and washing cannot be done without lead infiltrating their systems. To fix this massive problem, Flint will need more funding for mental health services. Since the lead is affecting many people psychologically, mental health services will be needed. Funding will also need to go towards switching the water source back to Lake Huron. Water is a natural resource, making this another example of sustainable development.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/05/health/flint-michigan-water-investigation/

These are two separate examples of global water crises. While Namibia is experiencing a shortage of water, Flint is experiencing contaminated water. I’m from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and I am privileged enough to never have to worry about water. As opposed to these locations, I have never dealt with a water shortage or contaminated water. Although I have never experienced them, I think these two scenarios prove that it is not impossible. Water is finite, and if contaminated or depleted, it is not easy to fix. In order to advance development where I live and perhaps prevent situations like this from happening, I think it is important to keep our water clean and safe. In Flint’s case, switching the water source to the Flint River was a disaster due to the high lead levels in the water. Had that river been uncontaminated to begin with, the switch would not have been so catastrophic. In Namibia’s case, although we don’t get our water from local dams, reducing water use is still important.  Examining location in a study like this is important because of the differences in Earth’s richness. Like the module explained, some areas are poorer and more prone to drought–like Namibia–and some are richer. I am lucky to live in an area that doesn’t have to worry about water shortages.

5. Do the pleasure and pain of non-human animals matter as much as the pleasure and pain of humans (speciesism)?

I was first introduced to the concept of speciesism in my last environmental science class here at Penn State. Before learning this idea, I had seen animals as inferior to human beings on an intellectual and physical level. That class taught me that we are all living beings serving purposes on this planet. I have friends back home who are choosing to go vegan for the sake of other living beings. While this is a sacrifice that I am not strong enough to commit to, they shared with me an insight towards sympathy for other animals. I remember watching a video on slaughter houses in that environmental science class. That video was a wake up call on the evident speciesism in our culture. Some chickens were kicked, even thrown at the wall before being packed into tight cages. For chickens to perish for human food is one thing, but torturing the animals before death is a direct result of thinking humans are superior to all other living beings. After watching these videos, I’ve tried to cut meat out of my diet. There are days where I cave, which is why I don’t label myself as a vegetarian, but I am definitely more mindful of my eating habits. These reasons are why I believe the pleasure and pain of non-human animals are just as important as the pleasure and pain of human beings.

6. Is my own life worth more than the lives of others, the same, or less (selfishness vs. altruism)?

I believe that my life matters the same as the lives of others. There are days when I pass strangers on the street and realize that they’re not just a random face, they’re people with childhood memories and families and experiences just like my own. It is easy to get sucked into my own narcissistic bubble since my life is the only life I will ever live, but that does not mean I am superior to any other life. As someone who works with children, I can see firsthand that selfishness is inherent in humans at an early age. Children are programmed to believe that their lives are the most important. Whether someone grows out of that mindset is a matter of choice, and many people remain narcissistic. I like to think of myself as an altruistic person. I see the wellbeing of my friends and family just as important as the well being of myself. When needed, I will sacrifice in order to help a loved one in need. Although it is not always agreed, I do believe that all people were created equal, and that my life matters just as much as the lives of others.

1. Is it more important to be a good person or to perform good acts (virtue ethics vs. action ethics)?

This question was harder for me to grapple, but I think it is more important to be a good person. Being a good person is a personality trait that is inherent in your mindsets and actions. Performing good acts is redeeming, but it is not a designated trait. Someone, in theory, could perform good acts while being an awful person, or perform good acts as a means to boost credibility or a reputation. Performing good acts can have ulterior motives, but simply being a good person will get you far in life. I believe that if you are a good person, then good acts will follow. A good person also tends to have a good belief system, which can easily spread to other people. To me, a good person is someone who is respectful to others, open-minded, caring, and hard-working. A good person can still accomplish great things based on their virtues. This question was more difficult because both options are beneficial. Performing good acts is a good thing, however, I believe being inherently good is even better.

My diagram begins with the main topic of this video, biogas. As the video explains, this innovation creates a system which benefits the environment and the social well-being of the rural community. The purple ideas of this diagram represent the social system, whereas the green ideas represent the environmental system. Biogas eliminates the necessity of collecting sticks for fire, which therefore lowers smoke production. The decrease in stick collecting saves the environment from deforestation, where the decrease in smoke saves the community from health defects. Lack of stick collection also allows the children more time for schooling. Biogas is produced from cow dung, which creates the methane gas. The methane gas is then transported into the household for cooking purposes. The creation of slurry compost creates jobs for the local women, which contributes to the economy. With a better economy, there is more money to pay for education for children. The system diagram shows that everything, more or less, comes full circle. Elimination of stick collection leads to more education, which leads to a better economy and more jobs, which leads to the composting, which leads to the biogas, and so on. The video proved that this is a stable system with little to no complications. I think this rural community proved that sustainability is possible when resources are low, and they can come from something as natural as cow waste.

I did not base my diagram off of Marten’s Human Ecology diagram, so the similarities and differences are present. Where Marten started with the Social and Environmental systems, I started with the main factor that leads to the benefit of both systems. We both connected certain environment and social links together, just in different formats. Also, rather than using “increase, decrease, create, improve,” Marten uses examples like “food, cooking fuel, and cut wood.”

Hello everyone! My name is Katie Cuerou and I am currently studying at the University Park  campus. I am from Doylestown, located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I am majoring in Elementary Education and am hoping to teach kindergarten or first grade. This is my first geography course, however I did take BiSci 3 (Environmental Science) last semester which covered some similar topics. Although this was a required course in my field, I am eager to expand my knowledge of geography. Prior to this module, my impression of geography was it only had to do with maps and landscapes. I now know that geography as a whole includes many facets such as human interactions and policy. As for facts about myself, I am involved in THON here at Penn State as well as a club for education majors, SPSEA. I’m also a huge New York sports fan since my family is from Long Island (go Mets!) I have a dog, Daisy, who is my pride and joy, and two older brothers. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you as well.

A topic that was largely discussed in my previous environmental science class and is also very relevant is climate change. It is always brought up in recent presidential debates and it’s existence is often denied. I think there are enough facts to support that climate change is a real and immediate problem in our lives. This relates to the content of module one through human-environment interactions. Actions such as burning fossil fuels are man-made operations that deplete Earth’s atmosphere. Even simple measures such as recycling can be ways to improve human-environment interactions. This concept relates to sustainability and the ways in which the human race can live sustainably without causing damage to the Earth. I think this course will go into further depth on how geography relates to these relevant issues.