Joshua Wilkins Create Your Own Assignment

  1. Create a system diagram of how H.I.P.P.O affects biodiversity, and how that effects us as humans.

System Diagram of H.I.P.P.O. and its connection to Biodiversity

2. In 200-250 words, describe your diagram and give explanation to the connections in the system.

For my system diagram, I chose to have the Human Population at the center, because we as humans hold much of the blame for loss of biodiversity on this planet. Also, a loss of biodiversity will ultimately come back to affect the human population negatively. First, humans add an incredible amount of pollution into the air, water, ground, and everything in between. We are responsible for dumping chemicals into rivers and streams, as well as garbage in the oceans. Fracking releases harmful chemicals into the ground, which can seep into groundwater reservoirs and expose humans and animals alike to their harsh effects. Another example is bioaccumulation, which was described in the module. Next, there are a number of examples of humans bringing invasive species into new environments, which harm the ecosystems of that area. Invasive species will take over habitats, making it impossible for the indigenous animals to survive. The invasive species may hunt prey that previously was not prey, or they may simply push out indigenous species. Humans are also affecting biodiversity by over harvesting resources that were previously kept in balance and harvested in limitedly. An example of this is over-fishing, were species are being irradiated by industries harvesting enormous amounts of fish to keep up with the heavy demand. Lastly, the human population itself is expanding at a exponential rate. This expanse, which requires more use of land and resources, is a direct cause for biodiversity. As more humans take up space and cities increase in size, we leave no room for animal or plant species which need stable, clean environments to thrive. With this expanse, also comes deforestation, which attributes to habitat loss. This is also an example of over harvesting. All of these things attribute to the loss of biodiversity on this planet, which ultimately hurts the Earth. Without a stable, clean planet to live on, our species may be the bringers of our own destruction.

3. Describe the biodiversity your hometown, and anything that might cause a loss of biodiversity in the environment in 200-250 words.

The biggest affect that my hometown community has on the loss of biodiversity is habitat loss. This is because the surrounding areas around my house and town are littered with large, expansive farms that produce many varieties of food and crops. This has required a large amount of deforestation over a long period of time, but relatively this is of little consequence. Despite the incredible amount of large farms surrounding my hometown, there is also an even larger amount of untouched wilderness, which remains relatively clean for all the species which reside there. Large amounts of land are protected by the state and federal governments in order to keep them in the most pristine condition, in hopes to limit the communities effect not the environment. In addition, there are not many large companies with large amounts of waste to get rid of in my communities. There is only one large plant, which does little to the environment if at all. There is no over harvesting, but there is excessive hunting. Without this though, there would be an overpopulation of deer in the area, and this would lead to a disrupted ecosystem, more car accidents, and less crops. Overall, my hometown of Erie, Pa is a relatively low impacting community on biodiversity.

 

Module 9: Climate Change

This system diagram focuses on all the dealings that the United States were found to be guilty of. To the left, you can see influences that were documented in the cables that were exposed through wikileaks. First, Connie Hedegaard, who is the EU climate action commissioner, suggested to the US deputy climate change envoy, Jonathan Pershing, that small island counties could be used as allies towards the accord. This was due to their low economic prosperity and great need for aid to their country. Next, Saudi Arabia is documented with trying to form a deal with the US for support of the accord. Since they are the second biggest oil producer in the world, they ask for help diversifying their economy away from fossil fuels. They would then stop resisting any negotiations regarding climate change. Then my diagram shows how the US acted based on the information found in the cables. One of the cables provided detail into discussions between Maldives and the US. It showed that Maldives asked for “tangible assistance” for support of the accord, and that this would lead other small countries to do so as well. Lastly, the United States blatantly issued a threat to Ethiopian prime minister, Meles Zenawi, that they need to, “sign the accord or discussion ends now”. They responded with concerns of promises of the aid. All of these things lead to there being less climate change for the planet. The US is trying to get this accord to be passed in hopes of going around the Kyoto protocol which would bind rich nations to their obligations for climate change. This would give the government free reign to hand the issue as they feel, and not as a planet which is how the situation needs to be handled.

I completely agree with cables being leaked to the public. Everyone has a right to know what the dealings are going on behind closed doors about what is to be done to save our planet. The US only thinks about money and how this will affect the money coming into our country, and not about the actual state of the planet. All of the actions carried out by these countries shows that the problem of climate change and global warming will not be simply solved by the governing powers who should be taking responsibility for the state of planet as it currently is. If any change is to happen, it needs to happen with a complete change of attitude across the entire world towards a more cooperative and dynamic approach to climate change. It cannot be just the governments, but the people that reside in those countries, need to take it upon themselves to do what they can for the planet. The high power governments will do whatever they need to to keep power where they want and that has everything to do with climate change. It is a global problem, and instead of trying to fix the problem, the US is using this as an opportunity to gain control and leverage over the disadvantaged counties of the world. Like it was said in the TEDtalk, a complete change of attitude and outlook needs to happen at both the personal and political level. There needs to be a shift from doing whats best for ourselves to what is best for the planet that we all live on. If this does not happen, I fear for what could happen.

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Module 8- Natural Hazards

Waterford, Pennsylvania is located in the northwest corner of the state. Because of its geographical location, it is not very susceptible to natural hazards compared to other locations in the country. Using the Nathan World Map of Natural Hazards, it showed that the region which my hometown is located is likely to experience hailstorms with increased intensity. Also, it has a relatively low susceptibility of experiencing tornados. The Nathan World Map does a good job of showing how different regions have different frequencies of the various natural hazards that can occur. My hometown just happens to be located in a region with very low susceptibility to these events.

From the Hungarian National Association of RSOE and EDIS map, I chose a biological natural hazard that is currently taking place in the State of Bauchi, Nigeria. Right now, a biohazard level 4 outbreak is occurring, already having infected 10 people. The disease that is spreading is Lassa Hemorrhagic Fever (LHF). My hometown would not be able to handle such a hazard without outside assistance. There is just not the resources to deal with any sort of outbreak in our small, country town. Even though the scale of the disaster is small right now, I feel it would affect my hometown in the same way. My hometown is so small, it probably has a similar population size to the area where this is occurring. The severity of the disaster would most likely depend on wealth in my hometown. If you are poorer, you’re more likely to live on a farm or in the country away from town, making you less likely to get sick. On the other hand, the more wealthy live in town and would be more likely to get sick. The best way to reduce the severity in my town would be through education and quarantining. If you limit the interaction of people and educate them on how to stay healthy, then the spread of the infection can be limited.

My hometown mostly deals with natural hazards such as severe winter storms or blizzards. Because of how the town in situated, relative to Lake Erie, the town falls in what is known as the Snow Belt around the lake. This causes the surrounding areas south of the lake to be blanketed with many feet of snow every consecutive winter. (1) To live in these annual conditions, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) allocated around 4.6 million dollars to my county every year for snow removal. This includes anti-icing trucks, plow trucks, and blowers. (2)

  1. personal experience- Joshua Wilkins (me)
  2. “Winter Services Guide.” (n.d.): n. pag. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. <http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Penndot/Districts/district11.nsf/0/16b8cf1035f1b13a8525798b0057ddc9/$FILE/PUB%20628%20(9-10)%20Final%20.pdf>.

The best way to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards in my hometown would be to equip more people with ways to remove snow, provide PennDOT with more employees or trucks to remove snow more quickly, or educate citizens on safer driving practices to reduce vehicular accidents during snow storms. Everyone needs to put forth helping hand in these situations. The storm will affect everyone, so everyone needs to do their part to keep themselves and each other safe. The best thing I can do is make sure the people around me are acting accordingly so that they, and everyone around them, are safe during a natural hazard.

Module 7 Sustainable Cities

My hometown is Waterford, Pennsylvania. This town is located about 15 miles south of Erie, Pennsylvania, which is in the northwest corner of the state. Waterford is a small, country town with only a single streetlight in the center of town. It would be considered a pedestrian-oriented neighborhood for the most part, because of the extensive sidewalks that cover the town. Everyone walks everywhere, and it is normal to do so just for fun. There is no metropolitan area in Waterford, but residents can make a 15 minute commute to Erie, Pennsylvania for a more urban experience with a mall, chain restaurants and stores, and nightlife. Waterford is approximately only 1.2 square miles with a population of just over 1500 people. This is the town I was raised in, where I went to middle and high school, and where I made all of my first memories. I really enjoyed living there, and I believe it gave me a humble attitude towards the world.

The first city from the module that I will discuss is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This city is a brilliant example of a group of people coming into an area and completely growing with the landscape. The city is built directly into the sweeping landscape and adjusted right by the long beach front. My hometown could take a page out of their book, with the expansion of my town would be into deep, thick forested areas. By extension, I could also talk about the neighboring city of Erie. Like Rio de Janeiro, Erie is situated on the coast of a body of water, in this case Lake Erie. Erie could continue to expand its boundaries down the coast line to add more hotels or homes to the city. To become more sustainable, Erie could follow their example and work on making transportation easier, and more accessible. Also, just make walking a more appealing option.

The second city which I will discuss from the module will be Shanghai, China. Again, like Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this port city has expanded and thrived by building over the landscape and terrain that once was forested and heavily undeveloped. The expansive city allows for many shipments to be brought into the country, and for a large population, around 23.9 million people, to live within close proximity of the city boundaries. Speaking about Erie again, since Waterford is an extremely hard example to compare Shanghai too, if the city were to want to expand it would best do so in a similar fashion. By building up instead of out, buildings can be closer together, thus eliminating the need for cars and it  makes walking more appealing. This eliminates some pollution and makes the city more sustainable.

Examples of Non-sustainable Development in a Developing World

Joshua Wilkins

  1. Colby – Sustainable Development

    Latin America (Mendoza, Argentina)
    http://personal.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/wat-arg.html

The problem discussed in this case study is the water management in the city of Mendoza, Argentina, and how the system is not sustainable or efficient for the people in the area. For an area that receives very little rainfall every year (about 7.8 inches annually), the distribution of the exploited groundwater to supply farms and citizens with usable freshwater is commanded by a system that is designed for its own destruction. The taxation system, which is the main source of revenue for the government organization in charge of the water supply, does not produce enough money to sustain adequate service or regulation for future generations. This region would be considered a region of non-sustainable development. Better regulation of the water supply in this region could dramatically change the economy of the region and the life of its citizens.

2.) Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/africa

This webpage highlights the many, vast problems that plague the entire continent of Africa, and the general steps that the UN would like to take towards aiding the people of this area. It describes how while some of the continent is considered to be developing, other areas show issues with poverty, hunger, education, and sanitation. Some of the specific problems the continent faces are problems with child mortality rates and also citizens’ lack of access to sanitation facilities. 41% of the people living in Africa live on less than $1.25 per day, and over half of the global out-of-school children can be found in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is another example of a non-sustainable developmental system in a region with many issues to address in the future.

3.) Both of these case studies show the polarity between life in the United States and countries which are considered to not have reached the same level of development. In State College, Pennsylvania, the area which I currently reside, there is never a shortage of water or a mismanage of the freshwater sources. There is never a time that I can think of that the water supply in the future was predicted to be worse or less accessible. Also, the poverty in this area is significantly lower than that of the areas discussed in Africa, and there is most likely not a child that is not enrolled in some sort of educational system. The development of my area is much higher in many aspects than that of the areas discussed in the case studies. What we can take from these case studies is examples of how not to run our systems in this area. It is clearly evident how these systems do not work and how their practices need to change.

Joshua Wilkins Module 4 post

I live in State College, Pennsylvania and 99% of the water here is pumped up from groundwater. Almost 16 million gallons per day is pumped up for commercial use. From here, the water is transported through pipes to the State College Borough Water Authority. There is it cleaned and filtered for consumers. Through pipes that mostly follow roads and other major junctions, it finally makes it to homes and out of the tap. After it is used in the dwelling or home, the water is transported, again through pipes along roads, to the PSU water treatment facility. They receive a little less than three million gallons of water per day.

1-b

teeth brushings: 2 times

showers: 1 for 15 minutes

toilet flushes: 6 times

water drank: 7 glasses

total: 95.42 gallons per day

1-c

Some areas of use for water during this experiment are cooking, hydrating, and bathing. These are three most important uses of water in daily life, and is what the water consumption will be limited to for this day. The first priority would be to set aside the least amount of water need to cook whatever food would be cooked that day. If it were to be boiling rice, a small amount of water would be needed, but there are many courses that do not require any water for cooking. Using the least amount of water possible here frees up water for later use during the day. The rest of the remaining water must be set aside for bathing, toilet use, and hydrating. Bathing and toilet use could be limited easily by washing wish just a small amount of water and a washcloth and toilet use by consolidating trips to the restroom throughout the day, respectively. My experiment proved to be a success. I was able to use just under 2 gallons of water for the day. It was difficult, and I am happy this is not a regular challenge for my days. Geography matters to water use, because different regions use different amounts of water, as well as different regions get water from different sources and dispose of their waste in different manners.

Joshua Wilkins Biogas diagram and analysis

The main point of this diagram is the sustaining of a community and environment. The biogas plant not only adds positive elements into the community, but also removes some harms from the community and the environment. It adds both economic and environmental stability into the community by providing buying power to poor families through the production of compost for sale and the lessening of deforestation and influx of compost improve the environment around the community.
My diagram and the diagram produced by Gery Marten are similar in they both contain human and environmental components. Both of our diagrams, also, take into account humanity’s effect on the environment. The difference between our two diagrams is that Marten separates the social and environmental systems, while my diagram they are more mixed together. His diagram takes into account the interactions inside those two systems, more than the interactions between the two systems. The interactions he has between the two are generalized to: energy, materials, and information, and are specified as either human activities or ecosystem services. These differences tell us that two kinds of system diagrams can exist. Information about the interaction between the social and environmental systems can be seen in diagrams like mine, while interactions in those two systems can be shown in diagrams like Marten’s. Each are important when looking at how different components in a community are affecting one another to possibly understand exactly what is happening and fixing any problems in the system.

jxw5370biogas