Leaning Activity 

In this module, we learned about the threats to biodiversity in The Amazon Rainforest. As we read, deforestation is one of the largest threats to the ecological environment in tropical rainforests. Tropical rainforests in regions along the equator of South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa are critical to the world’s carbon cycle. For this learning assignment, you will use Google Earth to identify a large region of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest of South America and connect the threats experienced there to the U.S.

1. Use Google Earth to locate a deforested area in the Amazon basin (hint: look around highways, river systems, and cities). Include a screenshot of the deforested area of land you selected.
2. Do some research and identify the location. Explain why it is deforested. What is its purpose? Include any biodiversity that is threatened, or impact the deforestation has on the community. In a paragraph of 200-300 words summarize your findings.
3. Use what you have learned from researching this area and connect it to the U.S. (or your hometown or surrounding area if relevant). This threat could have occurred in the past or is one occurring now. In a paragraph of 200-300 words address this connection and explain why conservation is necessary against these threats.

Response 

1.Puerto Maldonado, Perú.

2. Puerto Maldonado is the capital of the province Madre de Dios. In the image I can identify route 30C, this is a section of the Interoceanic Highway that spans across South America and connects Peru to Brazil. The Interoceanic Highway is controversial because it is paved through the Andes mountains in Peru and the Amazon basin in Brazil. Along its path, the areas surrounding the highway are now developing. As we can see in the image, there are large patches of deforested rainforest along the route and river. Although, Puerto Maldonado existed before the highways formation between 2006 and 2011 it has become a location under increased migration of gold miners and loggers and is a hotspot for ecotourism along the Madre de Dios river. I could not find a specific species extinction due to this development, but I found excessive literature on how increased migration to Puerto Maldonado increases the threats to biodiversity. Madre de Dios is part of the emerging market between Brazil and China and a location to traffic lumber, beef, soy, citrus, minerals through to Brazil (cite). Indigenous people are the ones most affected along the highways path, and local habitats are ruined from increased mining and logging. In the Madre de Dios, 100 birds and mammal species are critically endangered (cite). As an ecotourist to this region last summer I had the opportunity to witness development along the highway, and specifically hear of the impact this development has had on indigenous people in areas outside the city.

3. While this region experiences large threats to its biodiversity, the region is surrounded by large conservation areas developed and protected by the indigenous to the area. When deforestation occurs in the Amazon, it is a larger threat than deforestation in my area because the climate is critical to the regulation of carbon in the atmosphere; it is a large “sink” for carbon, whereas forests in central Pennsylvania are less substantial to the Earth’s climatic systems and lack great biodiversity. South America’s current development is similar to the U.S. in the 1800s where most of Pennsylvania was deforested for timber in home building. A comparison of the Interoceanic Highway can be made to the U.S. The development of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1896, which increased migration from coast to coast and accelerated gold mining and hunting in the West. Development of our landscape and economy heightened with this transportation development. While the U.S. benefited, the buffalo species and indigenous people paid the cost. The loss of the world’s biodiversity hotspots can impact total climate patterns and are critical to protect, but we must pay attention and allow other countries in the regions develop their economy. One key difference I noticed between protection of Amazon regions and conservation in the U.S. is that indigenous people establish conservation in South America, where the U.S. creates state or national parks. I feel the U.S. is too advanced in our wildlife and landscape destruction to go back, but regions like Madre de Dios understand the importance of conservation. They work to protect their biodiversity but increased ecotourism, and the Interoceanic Highway has posed a large threat for them to manage.

Reference

Kirby, S. (2007). Identifying Sites for Protected Areas Based on Endemic Species Richness and Threat in Madre de Dios, Peru (Doctoral dissertation). Duke University. http://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/10161/406/MP_sak4_200709.pdf?sequence=1

The main idea of my system diagram is the Anthropocene. While climate change occurs naturally, this diagram highlights the human acceleration of climate change through one example of increased human population. The diagram is systemic; it shows an increase in population increases the demand for goods that leads to increased consumption and production, which the pollution increases with more production resulting in increased greenhouse gasses and climate change. The diagram shows cause and effect of humanity’s impact on the environment. My diagram addresses the disproportionate contributions and experienced consequences of climate change between developed and underdeveloped countries. The variation in the rate of consumption between developed and underdeveloped affects how the UN should mandate emission reduction and how nations accept the decision. The Kyoto Protocol is supported unevenly by most countries because of differentiated responsibilities. As Carrington showed, the countries most affected by climate change view “aid as a right, not a reward.” It is controversial as to whether developed countries should help those developing, even though developed countries are most responsible for climate change. My diagram shows this controversy. According to the article, 75% of the supporters of the Copenhagen Accord are responsible for over 80% of greenhouse gas emissions (Carrington, 2010). The U.S. is a large contributor to environmental pollution. Wikileaks shows the U.S. threatening and promising aid to other countries for support of the low carbon model (Carrington, 2010). The Copenhagen Accord is placed at the end of this diagram under the U.S. because the U.S. is an example of one of the countries that need to make deep cuts to their emissions and should not be threatening other countries if the U.S is not reaching their emission cut goals.

A significant issue I encounter around climate change is the belief from individuals that it is indefinite. I meet too many people in the U.S. who feel climate change is not accelerated by human interaction. Also, I encounter individuals who believe that humanity is separate from the natural environment. I see the U.S. striving to make climate change diplomacy, but I see it is difficult when there are citizens who deny the Anthropocene. My diagram highlighted one aspect of human effect on the environment that is human population growth. Without responsible and sustainable practices developed throughout the globe, an increasing population is a threat to our future environmental conditions. The U.S. is one of the developed countries that is responsible for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, diplomacy should occur where the U.S. works to reduce our emissions, and in a way, quit worrying about other countries. I found it interesting how the Copenhagen Accord holds its name. Copenhagen is one of the “greener cities” that takes responsibility to reduce their emissions. As we saw in the video in module 4, Copenhagen has a rate of successful collective action programs such as citizens riding their bikes and the city adjusting infrastructure to accommodate bikes. I support how the U.S. is advancing towards climate change diplomacy, but they are doing it wrong. The State Department Cables should have been public to show the disproportionate actions and corruption occurring between countries. Another country should not be threatening other countries if they are not holding up to their individual set of action plans. I do feel developed countries should support underdeveloped countries because they have the technology and efforts to help. Particularly in the U.S. where we have a large volunteer base to travel to other countries. There should be a collective responsibility to mitigate and adapt to climate change, but it should be each country’s responsibility and those citizens within to reduce their emissions before they are concerned about the actions of other nations.

References

Carrington, D. (2010). WikiLeaks cables reveal how US manipulated climate accord. Retrieved April 08, 2016, from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/dec/03/wikileaks-us-manipulated-climate-accord 

1. Lewisburg is located in central Pennsylvania along the Susquehanna River. Based on the Nathan World Map of Natural Hazards Pennsylvania experiences increased heavy rain influenced by Zone 2 (185-212 km/h) and Zone 3 (213-251 km/h) winds off the Atlantic Ocean. Winter storms have peak wind speed of ≤ 80 km/h and low frequency/intensity of hail storms and wildfires. Although It is rare that tornado activity occurs in this area, we do have a history. It is reported that a total of 26 historical tornado events occurred in or near Lewisburg, PA between 1950-2010 (1). Through my experience the natural disaster that affects Lewisburg is flooding due to its location along the river. The Nathan World Map is it great for looking at global patterns, but for a city. I needed to generalize information. The maps should be larger to make weather indications easier to find.

2. Hong Kong, China’s current disaster is H7N9 or highly pathogenic avian influenza. The virus infects human species through direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry. It is hard to note the scale of this disaster because the information is not indicated on RSOE. The infection is confirmed to affect humans, but the scale and the total number of infections/deaths are not shown on the site. The CDC reported data by the World Health Organization showing 667 cases and 229 deaths from H7N9 flu have been reported globally from March 2013 through October 14, 2015 (most reported in China) (2).
Considering scale, China and the U.S. are relative in size, but Hong Kong in comparison to Lewisburg hold no similarities. Hong Kong is a large city with a population of 7 million, whereas Lewisburg is a small town with a population estimated at 5,733. Disease will spread in susceptible climates and at a greater rate in populated areas due to proximity to other individuals, but this is not the case for avian influenza that is spread through human to poultry contact. Areas around Lewisburg operate poultry farms. For example, my town 5 miles from Lewisburg has a poultry farm where they raise turkeys or chickens seasonally, but they do not process birds at this location. Much of the meat purchased by people of this area come from supermarkets. In China wet markets are more likely to be found where animal preparation is done on the spot. In Lewisburg, I believe every citizen that is not handling poultry directly has a low level of vulnerability to avian influenza. If such occurrence were to happen in Lewisburg people a person with direct contact with infected birds or surfaces contaminated with the avian influenza viruses will pick up this disease, but not spread it. The severity of this disease if it became present is low, and antiviral drugs are 70% to 90% effective (3) reducing the impact even more.

3.Lewisburg is located along the Susquehanna, which places it at low grown in the watershed. Streams from the surrounding mountains and towns all lead to this location making it susceptible to flooding. Thirteen local flood hazards have been reportedly marked between 1889-2011 (4). The historical flood of ‘72 during Hurricane Agnes is a disaster older generations still talk about since I can remember. Hurricanes and rapid snow melt typically cause the river to crest, but flash floods also create devastation for Lewisburg. The Susquehanna is a river that I needed to cross to get to my high school. Often my school closed due to flooding along the river that made access to the bridge impossible. Homes and business along the river are most vulnerable to flooding and pay the cost when these disasters occur, but large floods like the one of ‘72 and most recent in 2011 have caused devastation for a half mile beyond the floodplain.

4. In this module, we saw how hurricanes cause massive destruction in regions along the coast. I have experienced smaller scale destruction from hurricanes occurs that affects local water systems.The vulnerability of streams, rivers and reservoirs to flood is much easier to mitigate than instances from massive flooding in New Orleans or Japan. Large scale water destruction is often inevitable and unpreventable. Water leaves us no time to prepare when hurricanes begin causing rising water, and there is no chance with a tsunami. Are largest preventative measure is to not built on islands or along the coast, but we seek to live in these areas and pay the price when natural hazards occur. Lewisburg already accounts for vulnerability to flooding risks. They provided a website with information (5) addressing flood safety, floodplain ordinances, and insurance information for after flooding. I found Lewisburg has an “extensive storm drainage system to carry stormwater away from roadways and properties” (6). They city is built to move the water away from the town, and is system that they maintain prior to flooding.

My hometown is New Columbia, which is located in Union County in Pennsylvania. I live in a rural farming area, so for this post, I will focus on Lewisburg, PA, also in Union County and is where I go shopping and visit restaurants. Lewisburg is a small “college” city like State College, but smaller and with relatively little urban density. The area is mixed with automobile suburbs and a downtown urban area that offers town housing and a shopping/food places along the main street. Lewisburg is located along the Susquehanna River and used to be a central location for transportation by canal and train. The streets downtown are built for pedestrians by providing crosswalks and pedestrian crossing lights for locals and visitors. In 2013, the total population was 5,733 within the approximately one-and-a-half square miles (1). I am connected to this town because I grew up 10 minutes from its downtown area and have visited it often since I was young. When I go back home, I still visit the bookstore and ice cream shop.

Copenhagen is a great example of how social norms are transformed through urban infrastructure. Lewisburg increasingly encourages recreational bike use, but not as a means of commute transportation like Copenhagen. Lewisburg’s residential housing is located in accessible automobile suburbs, and bike lanes/trails are not connected to these areas. Lewisburg is making sustainable improvements through their Susquehanna GreenWay projects. The GreenWays “protect natural, cultural, and scenic resources and provide recreational benefits” (2). One “green” improvement is The Buffalo Valley Rail Trail, which is a 9-mile trail that joins Lewisburg to its neighboring town Mifflinburg. People can access this trail that is paved over an old railway for non-motor use. I ride my bike on this trail, and it is scenic as it goes straight through agricultural farming areas in the valley. Non-motorized transportation is popular in Lewisburg recreationally, but more accessibility to trails is needed so citizens can commute. Hopefully, GreenWay projects continue making sustainable improvements to the urban physical infrastructure to shape the social norms to a transit bike community.

Detroit’s urban agriculture captured my interest because I believe growing/buying food locally is one of the greatest improvements to make in sustainable living. Community farming can reduce transportation costs and improve the quality of the food people eat. I noticed that while farmland surrounds Lewisburg, people in small suburbs shop at large retailers and do not get produce from local farmers, even the local farmers market imports various items. As in Detroit, the connection to the farmer is lost. In the module, community gardens are highlighted as recreational activities and not the main source of food for a community. Lewisburg has one community garden that I am aware of, but I do know many people have urban gardens, which provide food for their family. Lewisburg can become more sustainable by setting up a system with local farmers to serve locally grown produce to the community; this is challenging because Walmart, Weis, and Giant are situated between housing and farmland. Increased farmer’s markets that are open multiple days during the week can improve the sustainability of locals food-print.

1) The case study of Indonsian rice analysed below can be found here: http://personal.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/ag-ind.html

From 1967, Indonesian agricultural development concentrated on becoming self-supporting in rice production. In 1984 domestic rice production exceeded domestic rice consumption, but it came unsustainably and resulted in external environmental and social costs.  Agricultural development policies goal was to offer subsidization to expand land, fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation to increase farmer’s rice output. Once Indonesia’s government subsidized pesticides and irrigation, farmers began irresponsibly applying pesticides and overused water because they no longer had to pay for their inputs. Pesticide runoff polluted water for local communities. Pests evolved resistance to chemicals, and the overuse wiped out a natural predator that help control pests. The increase in unsustainable development due to subsidies culminated a loss of one million tons of rice and caused a decline in fishing production in from 1986-87. Unsustainable development makes resources scare, which imposes environmental and social costs on the ecosystem. From 1986, the government banned 57 brands of pesticides and established a pest management program. The result reduced pesticide use by 90% and increased rice yields by 1.3 tons per hectare.  

2) The case study of pest control and Andean potato farming analysed below can be found here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/10-0393.1/full

Researchers studied four “modern” potato farming communities in the Peruvian Andes Mountains. Although indigenous, these farmers use modern pesticide treatment in their fields. In this case, the goal was to examine the negative response of Andean potato weevils (number one pest) to larger potato concentration. The case is particularly interesting because usually we assume that an increase in monocrop will lead to an increase in pests and, therefore, increase insecticide. Researchers results were different, an increase in the concentration of crop will decrease weevils because it pressures the pests over time and causes a population reduction. Although the case is subjective, we can learn from this more sustainable agricultural development. Pesticides create a significant cost to human health. Communities near water pollution via pesticide often cannot see themselves out of the toxic chemicals, unless they have the resources (often money) to relocate or invest in purification. Generalizing this case to limit pesticide in other landscapes could provide better pest management solutions over less sustainable ways of increasing pesticide use with the rise in crop production.

3) Modern agriculture works to control the landscape and increase productivity through efficiency, rather than incorporate sustainable systems that protect the environment and social equity. In Indonesia development focused on economic growth proved to degrade the environment and reduce crop yields. In the Peruvian case, I found that exceptions exist to modern pest control. Both cases show the benefits to improve sustainable agriculture. Neither case directly relates to where I live, but monocrop production of corn is the top subsidized agricultural product in Pennsylvania. Subsidizing can lead farmers carelessly overuse their inputs. The most sustainable way to develop agriculture is to work with nature and limit the production to match the rate at which natural resources can be renewable. As landscapes change and vary geographically is important to consider improvements on local scales. Success in a tropical or high mountain region may not be applicable in the U.S. It is difficult to keep sustainable agricultural practices when production extends beyond an individual or community supply, as is the case for Indonesia when the government subsided.

Part 1-a:

I live in New Columbia, Pennsylvania at 700ft. of elevation. My hometown’s climate is humid continental, which creates a relatively stable water supply. The average annual precipitation is 36 inches. My home’s water supply relies on a private residential well. Our well’s depth is 72 ft. Water enters our well from groundwater above layers of sandstone and limestone/shale. As precipitation occurs, water infiltrates the surface and permeates through soil layers into the groundwater supply. Although I live on a hill, our water table is relatively close to the surface. Water enters my home through the well pipes transport it into my home’s pressure storage tank in our basement. When I need water, it is readily available via tap. The water travels through pipes to 12 locations in my house (sinks, toilets, washer, and outside spigots). When I turn on a faucet, flush a toilet, and wash my laundry the used water exits my home into a septic tank. Waters goes through the septic and into a drain field where the soil absorbs it, purifies it and it permeates back into the ground water. This hydrologic cycle repeats until our groundwater storage is depleted.

Part 1-b:

Water log for Fri., Feb. 5, 2015 with laundry and food accounted for. Without laundry and food my total usage was 107.5 gallons.

Purpose                       Total Gal. Used    

Brush Teeth (2x)                       8

Wash Face (2x)                       16

Flush Home Toilet                     4

Flush Public Toilet                   16

Wash Hands                            10

Shower (Every other day)      32

Bottled Water                             1

Coffee/Tea                              .25

Cooking                                   .25

Washing Dishes                      20

Laundry (Bi-Weekly) (2x)       20    

Water Agriculture                    500(+/-)           

Total Water Used                   672.5 gal.

Part 1-c:

Sustaining on two gallons of water a day is a challenge. I am water conscious, but I realized long ago taking shorter showers and turning off the water while doing dishes or brushing my teeth will not cut it. In my daily life, I consider my water footprint and account for it in the foods I eat. From this experiment, I noticed that most of my water footprint other than food is from hygiene. On Saturday, I decided not to shower or cook with water. I stayed in my house where I already apply the yellow-mellow rule, this saved a considerable amount of water. My water usage came down to brushing my teeth, rinsing my face without the tap on and drinking my regular amount of water. So I can survive on two gallons if I stay in my house and eat already made food. Geography is the significant factor in the disbursement of water. I think of the women and children in Haiti who not only drink less water than me they need to carry it miles to their house, and the water is not even pure. This experiment shows how privileged I am based on my geographic location.

Do ecosystems matter for their own sake, or do they only matter to the extent that they impact humans (ecocentric ethics vs. anthropocentric ethics)?

Humans are included in their ecosystems! I hold this view because I always consider myself one with the ecosystem, rather than acknowledge the human social system as separate. If I think deeper about this, maybe they are separate. The human social system is anthropocentrism. If we lived with our ecosystem, we would live synchronously, not exploit landscapes and living and nonliving resources, therefore, we would adopt an ecocentric ethic. Honestly after seeing the “pristine” ecosystem of the Amazon Rainforest my views on how humans interact with the environment have changed. While living in that region, I considered every aspect of my wastes impact. Ecosystems do matter for their own sake. That region creates an ecosystem driven by natural atmospheric processes that would exist if humans did not live there, but my impact can alter that system. It is fascinating that humans have the technology and cultural patterns to live around the Earth in places where non-human animals and plants have naturally evolved to live. Our ecosystems impact us, but we have found ways to adapt. With global warming causing weather patterns to shift around Earth’s climate regions I think humans will have to focus on an ecocentrism perspective. If we focus on aiding non-human life as it aids us and preserving natural resources, we might have a better chance of adapting to the unpredictable change in the future.

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

Human and non-human animal’s welfare should be cared for equally. I believe animals have rights to be treated as we treat humans. I hold this view because evolutionarily, non-human animals experience the same pleasure and pain as humans, but we have the intellect and emotional capacity to evolve our society beyond evolution’s limits. Therefore, under speciesism, we are the more ethically important living thing to protect. Our ethical views on how we respect some animals equity and are insensitive to others are created by culture. For instance, in the U.S., we consider cats and dogs as pets and neglect other “farm animals” for our sustenance. In Peru, some households raise guinea pigs and eat them when they are large enough while in the U.S. guinea pigs are common pets. I stopped eating meat for my health and environmental reasons. Through this decision, I have come to make more ethical decisions about how animals are treated. Now, I have a hard time wrapping my head around statements from individuals who say they care for animals but support animal industries through the purchase of meat. Many of us care for extinct species and want to protect them, but do not realize our industrial driven life is aiding in the destruction of these species niches. Ecocentrism is the larger picture to bring into focus. Humans are an integral of the ecosystem with non-human animals. Non-human animals have adapted to work with their ecosystem and gain sustenance at levels that do allow landscapes to renew themselves; that is intelligence in my opinion. We thrive on the same landscapes of the non-humans. As a smarter species, we should realize the similarities between human and non-human animals and respect their well-being as we develop.

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

It is a challenging assignment to evaluate your own selfishness. I like to believe I am altruistic, but my belief has bias. When I am questioning my virtue ethics, I need to step outside of my shoes and view myself as others see me. Now, when I place my viewpoint from another’s perspective, I think of my family and friends close to me who see my actions. In their view, I am altruistic. I care for and try to help them as needed. I hold myself to the standard that if I am able, I need to help those around me. My value of life is the same as anyone’s life, but I will take care of myself first. I need to be in good condition to help others. I think that it is our natural instinct to be selfish for our needs, and altruistic towards people close to us. Thought deeper analysis of my views I think true altruism happens beyond family and friends. Truely acting selfless is to aid anyone at any time, no matter how you feel or your physical condition. I can be selfish in my daily life but altruistic when the time comes. I may value my life as equal to the beings around me, but I do not extend myself beyond my personal needs as much as I would like too. I used to view volunteering as altruism until it became so popular to find on resumes as a promotion of self. Altruism is in the individuals whose actions do not benefit for themselves, but others benefit.