The article begins by discussing the savings how many large companies have become more efficient with their energy use. This decrease in energy usage saves the U.S. 1 billion dollars per day. It is mentioned that 5% of household electricity is wasted by running appliances, such as computers, that are not even turned on. This preventable wasted energy costs Americans hundreds of billions of dollars and the world over a trillion dollars per year. So why doesn’t everyone become more energy efficient? Many people think that means cutting back on their luxuries. Another reason is that a person saves in small amounts that add up and does not see a big “chunk” of savings. Some people are not current enough on technology to know how to save energy. Efficient energy usage is also important for preventing climate change. Interestingly, less than one third of fossil fuels burned today are carbon containing; most are hydrogen which is climate safe. An important concept today is doing more work per unit of energy.
Some cost efficient ways people could conserve energy are; using compact fluorescent lights, and window coatings. Lovins mentions her own house which is insulated so well that it only looses about 1 percent more heat than it gains. This home has no conventional heating system. This concept is also applicable to office buildings and factories, which would have the potential to reduce energy and costs greatly.
Vehicles are a large source of carbon emissions. This could be significantly decreased with the use of lightweight materials and better aerodynamics. Automobiles are extremely inefficient as only 13 percent of the energy used actually makes it to the wheels, and of this, half is wasted as heat. The author claims that with the proper materials a car can be big, comfortable, protective and efficient. Also, to decrease vehicle emissions people can turn to fuel alternatives, including ethanol and use of a lower carbon natural gas. Benefits of phasing out oil include over $70 million in savings, reducing carbon emissions, and eliminating social and political costs of getting and burning petroleum.
Some alternatives to coal plants include wind and solar power, as well as decentralized cogeneration plants which produce heat and electricity. Wind power is something that is growing in popularity, even in Manitoba. The article discusses the importance of stopping global warming before it gets much more serious. The climate problem was created collectively by millions of bad decisions and can be fixed by millions of reasonable choices. With the removal of institutional barriers markets will favour wealth and climate protection with the replacement o fossil fuels by cheaper alternatives.
I think that increasing the efficiency of homes and vehicles is a relatively easy step that people can take to decrease energy use and save money. This is not something that can be expected to happen overnight as homes are built to last decades and vehicles are built to be used for years. Changes can easily be made in new homes and in new vehicles as long as these changes do not negatively affect the users of these products. I think that people will not easily give up their large homes and large vehicles but they should take steps to make them more efficient.
If each person were to save a little energy each day, in the form of electricity, fossil fuels, and other forms, we would be able to drastically reduce the amount of wasted energy. This would also save people money. I agree that people may not be proactive to decrease energy use because they don’t think it will save them that much money, but if a person took multiple actions to save energy they could see huge savings over a lifetime.
Reinventing the Energy System
This article begins by describing what people in 1893 imagined life would be like in thirty years; horse carriages, gas lights, and coal use. They imagined that electrical power would be highly used but didn’t think that there would be such devastating negative effects as there currently are. Currently 90 percent of energy in the industrialized countries comes from fossil fuels; coal, oil and natural gas. It is clear that technology must adapt to using ‘renewable’ energy sources, such as the sun, the wind, and hydrogen. The use of coal began in Europe in the seventeenth century. Now there is less than 11 days worth of sunshine remaining in stored fossil fuels. Today the energy system over provides for 2 million people, and under provides for another two million people, who cannot afford such things as fuel or electricity. We cannot rely on the fossil fuel sources of energy for another century as so much damage has been done in the form of release of combustible gases and depletion of non-renewable resources.
Previously, changes have occurred due to alterations in technology, or social, economical, or environmental forces. The article states that natural gas and coal supplies are sufficient enough to last until the end of the 21st century, but oil will not. At the time of printing, the authors estimate that there are 1 trillion barrels of oil remaining to be extracted, while 800 billion barrels have already been extracted. This means that about half of the exploitable oil has already been extracted. It is expected that extraction of oil will peak around 2010 and will then decline. 67 million barrels of oil are consumed daily, this is increasing due to the growth of developing countries. To continue meeting growing world oil demand would require tripling the world oil production. It will most likely be the health and environmental effects that force us to decrease fossil fuel use, rather than decreasing supply. Burning of fossil fuels is the main source of air pollution, which leads to water and land degradation, as well as lung cancer and respiratory problems. It is estimated that 178,000 deaths will be caused by coal burning in China alone. Experts have stated belief that human activity is causing an end to the relatively stable climate that has occurred over the last 10,000 years. A stabilization of CO2 levels will require a decrease of at least 60 percent of carbon emissions. It is important that a technology be developed that can sustain a growing population in an environmental fashion.
Some comparable energy forms are next considered in the writing; the silicon semi-conductor chip offers some promise for increasing processing power and decreasing the size of electronic devices, allowing for increased efficiency. Wind power is also an option as it is economically competitive with fossil fuel energy. Solar photovoltaic cells transform radiation from the sun into electric current, this form is now 80% more affordable than in the past. Also discussed is the fuel cell, which combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce water and energy.
The article mentions that increased use of solar-hydrogen and other sources of renewable energy would increase the evenness of countries to provide their own energy, as opposed to oil which is not evenly distributed. This would allow these developing countries to be able to not depend so largely on imports from other countries, making energy a ‘normal’ commodity. Increased use of renewable energy would prevent cartels from determining the future energy system. Iceland is mentioned as it has decided to convert to a ‘hydrogen economy’ within the next twenty years.
Benefits of the current fossil fuel system have not been as large to underdeveloped countries as they have here in Canada. Approximately one third of the world still relies on biomass, wood for example, as their main energy source. 58% of the world’s energy is used by the richest 20% of people. Energy would most likely be spread more fairly if a renewable energy source were used. This could lead to increased development in poorer areas of the world. Still, there must be a change in the amount of energy consumed, for example, owning smaller cars and homes. People need to look at energy as something to be valued and preserved, rather than abused. The sooner we implement hydrocarbon power, the sooner we can stop depleting the necessary resources of future generations.
I think that the most important effect that use of a renewable resource would have is, the increase in well being that is possible for underdeveloped nations. For areas that currently do not have fossil fuels to use or even sell, they must purchase them from another country, adding significant expenses for those countries. Many poor people in these countries would be able to provide for themselves more easily with accessible energy sources. If a form of fuel was more affordable to them, perhaps these countries could make their farming practices more mechanized, allowing them to produce enough food to provide for their people.
It is fairly shocking to see how much energy that the richer people of the world use. To think of how much energy use in North America is unessential is astounding. For example, to think of Las Vegas and how much energy must be used to light signs that maybe don’t even need to be lit up. This must be a ridiculous amount of energy each day. Another interesting fact I was once told is the amount of energy that the province of Saskatchewan could save by changing their time to daylight savings time. Daylight savings allows Manitobans, and people from other areas, to make best use of the daylight hours. By getting up earlier when the sun rises sooner we can make use of that time more efficiently than sleeping for an hour of daylight. We change our clocks so that we can have our lights on for fewer hours of the day, why doesn’t Saskatchewan?
This article begins by describing what people in 1893 imagined life would be like in thirty years; horse carriages, gas lights, and coal use. They imagined that electrical power would be highly used but didn’t think that there would be such devastating negative effects as there currently are. Currently 90 percent of energy in the industrialized countries comes from fossil fuels; coal, oil and natural gas. It is clear that technology must adapt to using ‘renewable’ energy sources, such as the sun, the wind, and hydrogen. The use of coal began in Europe in the seventeenth century. Now there is less than 11 days worth of sunshine remaining in stored fossil fuels. Today the energy system over provides for 2 million people, and under provides for another two million people, who cannot afford such things as fuel or electricity. We cannot rely on the fossil fuel sources of energy for another century as so much damage has been done in the form of release of combustible gases and depletion of non-renewable resources.
Previously, changes have occurred due to alterations in technology, or social, economical, or environmental forces. The article states that natural gas and coal supplies are sufficient enough to last until the end of the 21st century, but oil will not. At the time of printing, the authors estimate that there are 1 trillion barrels of oil remaining to be extracted, while 800 billion barrels have already been extracted. This means that about half of the exploitable oil has already been extracted. It is expected that extraction of oil will peak around 2010 and will then decline. 67 million barrels of oil are consumed daily, this is increasing due to the growth of developing countries. To continue meeting growing world oil demand would require tripling the world oil production. It will most likely be the health and environmental effects that force us to decrease fossil fuel use, rather than decreasing supply. Burning of fossil fuels is the main source of air pollution, which leads to water and land degradation, as well as lung cancer and respiratory problems. It is estimated that 178,000 deaths will be caused by coal burning in China alone. Experts have stated belief that human activity is causing an end to the relatively stable climate that has occurred over the last 10,000 years. A stabilization of CO2 levels will require a decrease of at least 60 percent of carbon emissions. It is important that a technology be developed that can sustain a growing population in an environmental fashion.
Some comparable energy forms are next considered in the writing; the silicon semi-conductor chip offers some promise for increasing processing power and decreasing the size of electronic devices, allowing for increased efficiency. Wind power is also an option as it is economically competitive with fossil fuel energy. Solar photovoltaic cells transform radiation from the sun into electric current, this form is now 80% more affordable than in the past. Also discussed is the fuel cell, which combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce water and energy.
The article mentions that increased use of solar-hydrogen and other sources of renewable energy would increase the evenness of countries to provide their own energy, as opposed to oil which is not evenly distributed. This would allow these developing countries to be able to not depend so largely on imports from other countries, making energy a ‘normal’ commodity. Increased use of renewable energy would prevent cartels from determining the future energy system. Iceland is mentioned as it has decided to convert to a ‘hydrogen economy’ within the next twenty years.
Benefits of the current fossil fuel system have not been as large to underdeveloped countries as they have here in Canada. Approximately one third of the world still relies on biomass, wood for example, as their main energy source. 58% of the world’s energy is used by the richest 20% of people. Energy would most likely be spread more fairly if a renewable energy source were used. This could lead to increased development in poorer areas of the world. Still, there must be a change in the amount of energy consumed, for example, owning smaller cars and homes. People need to look at energy as something to be valued and preserved, rather than abused. The sooner we implement hydrocarbon power, the sooner we can stop depleting the necessary resources of future generations.
I think that the most important effect that use of a renewable resource would have is, the increase in well being that is possible for underdeveloped nations. For areas that currently do not have fossil fuels to use or even sell, they must purchase them from another country, adding significant expenses for those countries. Many poor people in these countries would be able to provide for themselves more easily with accessible energy sources. If a form of fuel was more affordable to them, perhaps these countries could make their farming practices more mechanized, allowing them to produce enough food to provide for their people.
It is fairly shocking to see how much energy that the richer people of the world use. To think of how much energy use in North America is unessential is astounding. For example, to think of Las Vegas and how much energy must be used to light signs that maybe don’t even need to be lit up. This must be a ridiculous amount of energy each day. Another interesting fact I was once told is the amount of energy that the province of Saskatchewan could save by changing their time to daylight savings time. Daylight savings allows Manitobans, and people from other areas, to make best use of the daylight hours. By getting up earlier when the sun rises sooner we can make use of that time more efficiently than sleeping for an hour of daylight. We change our clocks so that we can have our lights on for fewer hours of the day, why doesn’t Saskatchewan?
Human and Natural Drivers of Climate Change
Over the past 150 years the concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have greatly increased. Increase
s in carbon dioxide are mainly due to fossil fuel use and land-use change. Increases of methane and nitrous oxide can mainly be attributed to agricultural production. Carbon dioxide has increased from 280ppm to 379ppm. An increase of 20% was seen for carbon dioxide radiative forcing for 1995-2005, this is the largest change for a decade in over 200 years. Methane increased from 715ppb to 1732ppb, and nitrous oxide from 270ppb to 319ppb.
Increases in the average global temperatures for the air and oceans, increased snow and ice melt, and rise in the sea level have been direct observations of recent climate change. The warming trend for the past 50 years is more than twice the increase was for the past hundred years. The lower and mid-troposphere also showed increased temperature. Water vapour in the atmosphere has increased as warm air is capable of holding more moisture. The oceans have warmed to at least 3000m deep as oceans absorb over 80% of the heat added to the system. Glacier and snow melt have added to sea level rise. Average sea rise is 1.8 mm per year, with estimates of a 17cm rise before the end of the 20th century. The temperature in the Arctic has increased nearly twice the global average rate for the past 100 years. Temperatures above the permafrost layer of the Arctic are quickly warming. Some areas have seen increased precipitation while other areas have seen decreased rainfall. More extreme temperatures, have been observed as there are more hot nights, hot days, and heat waves, while cooler extremes are less frequent.
Much of the temperature increase is attributed to greenhouse gas concentrations. The global warming patterns are most not likely due to natural causes, as external forcing seems to be apparent. Anthropogenic warming has been significant over every continent except Antarctica. It is difficult to determine if greenhouse gas emissions are to blame for climate change because the climate is naturally variable.
It is expected we will see a 0.2⁰C warming for each of next two decades. If greenhouse gas emissions remain steady or increase, further warming would cause changes larger than those that were observed in the 20th century. To make matters worse, warming causes more carbon dioxide to remain in the atmosphere as land and ocean uptake are decreased. Warming is most severe over land at high northern latitude and the Southern and North Atlantic Oceans. With increased warming, snow will contract causing increased thaw depth, sea ice will shrink in the Arctic and Antarctic, heat extremes will become more frequent, tropical cyclones and heavy precipitation events will increase in frequency, and tropical storms will more towards the poles. More carbon dioxide will be added to the atmosphere by climate carbon cycling as temperatures continue to increase. The Greenland ice sheet may melt, causing a 7 metre rise in sea level, which would be devastating to low altitude areas. It is predicted that the warming and sea rise will continue for over a millennium, due to the long life of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The fact that everyone, especially those who affect it, know about global warming but very few seem to care is very disturbing. Facts have been very public about the amount of warming that is occurring, the effects it is having on the present, and the potential effects it will have in the future, yet there are only a select few that seem to take the issue as seriously as it should be taken. Even more disturbing is the fact that people are using more and more fossil fuels despite the fact that a person hears about global warming on a daily basis. It even seems that for each person that is publically fighting global warming, there is someone saying that global warming is a hoax. Cleary, from facts stated in this article we can determine that there have been some negative effects of burning fossil fuels. I believe that the current generation is far too concerned with their needs, and wants, to consider how we may be affecting the ability of future generations to sustain their needs.
Principles of Conversation
Pinchot begins by discussion the concept of conservation of natural resources and how he believes it began concerning the forests. Conservation now goes far beyond just natural resources. Conservation is about development and using resources that are required, while leaving any unneeded resources for the future generation.
The principles of conservation are:
1. Development- use of existing natural resources for our benefit
2. Prevention of waste- preventing waste is a matter of good business and we must be able to control the earth we live on. We must decide when specific resource use should not be allowed anymore.
3. Natural resources must be developed and preserved for the benefit of many, not for the profit of few- resources must be conserved and use appropriately so that as many people as possible can benefit from these goods.
These principles relate to any good that people may use. Conservation education is very important as all people should be taught how to make better use of the resources that they have, without depleting them.
The importance of conservation regarding all resources is very important. There is no reason that any society, or person, should use any more than it requires. Unfortunately, so many people waste food, energy, and other resources frequently. Even something such as agricultural overproduction is a waste as it depletes nutrients from the soil and uses fertilizer that may not have even been required. The fact that approximately the same number of people that are undernourished is equal to the number of people who are obese demonstrates the extreme selfishness of certain societies.
Over the past 150 years the concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have greatly increased. Increase
s in carbon dioxide are mainly due to fossil fuel use and land-use change. Increases of methane and nitrous oxide can mainly be attributed to agricultural production. Carbon dioxide has increased from 280ppm to 379ppm. An increase of 20% was seen for carbon dioxide radiative forcing for 1995-2005, this is the largest change for a decade in over 200 years. Methane increased from 715ppb to 1732ppb, and nitrous oxide from 270ppb to 319ppb.Increases in the average global temperatures for the air and oceans, increased snow and ice melt, and rise in the sea level have been direct observations of recent climate change. The warming trend for the past 50 years is more than twice the increase was for the past hundred years. The lower and mid-troposphere also showed increased temperature. Water vapour in the atmosphere has increased as warm air is capable of holding more moisture. The oceans have warmed to at least 3000m deep as oceans absorb over 80% of the heat added to the system. Glacier and snow melt have added to sea level rise. Average sea rise is 1.8 mm per year, with estimates of a 17cm rise before the end of the 20th century. The temperature in the Arctic has increased nearly twice the global average rate for the past 100 years. Temperatures above the permafrost layer of the Arctic are quickly warming. Some areas have seen increased precipitation while other areas have seen decreased rainfall. More extreme temperatures, have been observed as there are more hot nights, hot days, and heat waves, while cooler extremes are less frequent.
Much of the temperature increase is attributed to greenhouse gas concentrations. The global warming patterns are most not likely due to natural causes, as external forcing seems to be apparent. Anthropogenic warming has been significant over every continent except Antarctica. It is difficult to determine if greenhouse gas emissions are to blame for climate change because the climate is naturally variable.
It is expected we will see a 0.2⁰C warming for each of next two decades. If greenhouse gas emissions remain steady or increase, further warming would cause changes larger than those that were observed in the 20th century. To make matters worse, warming causes more carbon dioxide to remain in the atmosphere as land and ocean uptake are decreased. Warming is most severe over land at high northern latitude and the Southern and North Atlantic Oceans. With increased warming, snow will contract causing increased thaw depth, sea ice will shrink in the Arctic and Antarctic, heat extremes will become more frequent, tropical cyclones and heavy precipitation events will increase in frequency, and tropical storms will more towards the poles. More carbon dioxide will be added to the atmosphere by climate carbon cycling as temperatures continue to increase. The Greenland ice sheet may melt, causing a 7 metre rise in sea level, which would be devastating to low altitude areas. It is predicted that the warming and sea rise will continue for over a millennium, due to the long life of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The fact that everyone, especially those who affect it, know about global warming but very few seem to care is very disturbing. Facts have been very public about the amount of warming that is occurring, the effects it is having on the present, and the potential effects it will have in the future, yet there are only a select few that seem to take the issue as seriously as it should be taken. Even more disturbing is the fact that people are using more and more fossil fuels despite the fact that a person hears about global warming on a daily basis. It even seems that for each person that is publically fighting global warming, there is someone saying that global warming is a hoax. Cleary, from facts stated in this article we can determine that there have been some negative effects of burning fossil fuels. I believe that the current generation is far too concerned with their needs, and wants, to consider how we may be affecting the ability of future generations to sustain their needs.
Principles of Conversation
Pinchot begins by discussion the concept of conservation of natural resources and how he believes it began concerning the forests. Conservation now goes far beyond just natural resources. Conservation is about development and using resources that are required, while leaving any unneeded resources for the future generation.
The principles of conservation are:
1. Development- use of existing natural resources for our benefit
2. Prevention of waste- preventing waste is a matter of good business and we must be able to control the earth we live on. We must decide when specific resource use should not be allowed anymore.
3. Natural resources must be developed and preserved for the benefit of many, not for the profit of few- resources must be conserved and use appropriately so that as many people as possible can benefit from these goods.
These principles relate to any good that people may use. Conservation education is very important as all people should be taught how to make better use of the resources that they have, without depleting them.
The importance of conservation regarding all resources is very important. There is no reason that any society, or person, should use any more than it requires. Unfortunately, so many people waste food, energy, and other resources frequently. Even something such as agricultural overproduction is a waste as it depletes nutrients from the soil and uses fertilizer that may not have even been required. The fact that approximately the same number of people that are undernourished is equal to the number of people who are obese demonstrates the extreme selfishness of certain societies.
A Sand County Almanac
The article begins by stating that ‘only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf’. Leopold tells a story about himself when he killed a wolf and it made him realize the damage that can be done by killing one creature. Killing wolves over many states has caused increased deer populations which graze bushes to death, damage trees, and then die due to starvation caused by their own large population that was not controlled because wolves were killed off. The quote above states that only a mountain at risk of being defoliated can understand the true importance of a wolf. It takes many years for a mountain to recover from such defoliation. A rancher may also kill wolves to prevent them from killing his livestock, he is then assuming the role of the wolf as the manager of the population. If a livestock population grows too large land degradation is of extreme concern. Often wolves are killed to increase safety, but decreasing a keystone population is extremely dangerous.
Leopold discusses ethics in an ecological sense as limiting freedom of action in the struggle for existence. Competition in a free-for all sense has been replaced by a mechanism in which co-operation is important. Efficiency of co-operation has been increased by the use of tools. Currently, there is no ethic regarding a man’s relation to land and the animals and plants it contains. Land is thought of in only an economic matter, with privileges but not obligations.
In other cases ethical beliefs are based on the fact that an individual is a part of a set of interdependent elements. The ethical view of the land would add soil, water, plants, and animals, collectively referred to as the land. Land must be though of for more than just its economical value. Regarding farming, producers have the opinion that the land causes them to be a slave, so they find ways to exploit the land making production practices easier, despite the negative impacts to the land. An important concept is the need for preserving integrity, stability, and the beauty of the living community. People must stop believing the economics determines the use of a landscape. Land ethics must be treated like all other ethics; social commendation for right actions, and social disapproval for wrong actions.
This is related to the importance of maintaining biodiversity in each community. This is very important and whenever possible, people should act to reduce their impact on the land. Reducing human impact will significantly reduce the loss of biodiversity. One way that I think humans can reduce their influence on nature is to live inside cities and not spread into suburban areas. People can also argue that less land should be farmed but I think that farmland is more important than building houses, if unnecessary, outside of city limits. Generally, people could remain in cities and older areas could be rebuilt with tall apartment buildings. If cities were to be built upwards rather than outwards we could decrease the area of land that is altered by humans.
I feel that it is very important that humans adopt a more biocentric view of the world and start to look at nature as a more significant element of the world. Humans need to focus less on their own personal gain and more on using what they need and no more.
Al Gore – Book : An Inconvenient Truth-The Crisis of Global Warming
In the book, Al Gore discusses the changes to the earth that are effecting its own viability. Discussed is the reason that greenhouse g
ases effect earth; they collect in space and as sunlight attempts to reflect off the earth’s surface these gases soak up some of the infrared light, not allowing it to exit back into space. This causes an overall warming of earth’s atmosphere as well as the oceans. The famous graph used by Gore to show the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is shown at left; a line that rises rapidly. This line has a peak and a low for each year, which is due to the change in seasons, as the amount of respiration of plants increases in the summer, therefore decreasing carbon dioxide concentration. The atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has risen from about 315ppm to 380ppm in the past 60 years.
Gore displays the extreme glacier retreat and snow melt using pictures of glaciers from Mount Kilimanjaro, Glacier National Park, the Himalayas, and more. This book was written in 2005, it states that the hottest day ever recorded was in 2005. Also, of the 21 hottest years ever, 20 of them were in the past five years. Agriculturally, this warmth is a danger as warm air dries out soil, which then may not have enough moisture to sustain a crop. Also discussed is the increase in severe storms, Hurricane Katrina occurred in 2005. Also expected is an increase in precipitation in some areas and a decrease in other areas. Canada is estimated to have increased rain, while much of Africa and Asia will have less rain. The two areas expected to have the most substantial change to their climate are the Polar Regions, the Arctic and the Antarctic. This is dangerous because these areas contain many glaciers and a large amount of snow. As ice and snow melt they will add to the sea, causing an increased sea level which will then be disastrous for low altitude regions, such as Florida, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and New York City.
A world map is shown; each countries size is determined by its contribution to global warming. The United States attributes to 30.3% of global warming, Europe is 27.7%, and Canada and Greenland together are 2.3%. The developing nations contribut
e very little to global warming in comparison to the developed nations. Gore finishes with a few alternatives we can use to decrease our carbon footprint; solar panels, geothermal power stations, fluorescent light bulbs, green roofs, hybrid cars, hydrogen fuel-cell buses, and wind power. Australia and United states are two advanced nations that have not joined the KYOTO protocol, but I believe Australia may be included in KYOTO now.
This is a very interesting book that I have had for a while with the intention of reading. There are many illustrations in the book which are also in the film. The book allows a person to examine the illustrations carefully. The book is interesting because there are so many photos and some very strong, informative points.
The article begins by stating that ‘only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf’. Leopold tells a story about himself when he killed a wolf and it made him realize the damage that can be done by killing one creature. Killing wolves over many states has caused increased deer populations which graze bushes to death, damage trees, and then die due to starvation caused by their own large population that was not controlled because wolves were killed off. The quote above states that only a mountain at risk of being defoliated can understand the true importance of a wolf. It takes many years for a mountain to recover from such defoliation. A rancher may also kill wolves to prevent them from killing his livestock, he is then assuming the role of the wolf as the manager of the population. If a livestock population grows too large land degradation is of extreme concern. Often wolves are killed to increase safety, but decreasing a keystone population is extremely dangerous.
Leopold discusses ethics in an ecological sense as limiting freedom of action in the struggle for existence. Competition in a free-for all sense has been replaced by a mechanism in which co-operation is important. Efficiency of co-operation has been increased by the use of tools. Currently, there is no ethic regarding a man’s relation to land and the animals and plants it contains. Land is thought of in only an economic matter, with privileges but not obligations.
In other cases ethical beliefs are based on the fact that an individual is a part of a set of interdependent elements. The ethical view of the land would add soil, water, plants, and animals, collectively referred to as the land. Land must be though of for more than just its economical value. Regarding farming, producers have the opinion that the land causes them to be a slave, so they find ways to exploit the land making production practices easier, despite the negative impacts to the land. An important concept is the need for preserving integrity, stability, and the beauty of the living community. People must stop believing the economics determines the use of a landscape. Land ethics must be treated like all other ethics; social commendation for right actions, and social disapproval for wrong actions.
This is related to the importance of maintaining biodiversity in each community. This is very important and whenever possible, people should act to reduce their impact on the land. Reducing human impact will significantly reduce the loss of biodiversity. One way that I think humans can reduce their influence on nature is to live inside cities and not spread into suburban areas. People can also argue that less land should be farmed but I think that farmland is more important than building houses, if unnecessary, outside of city limits. Generally, people could remain in cities and older areas could be rebuilt with tall apartment buildings. If cities were to be built upwards rather than outwards we could decrease the area of land that is altered by humans.
I feel that it is very important that humans adopt a more biocentric view of the world and start to look at nature as a more significant element of the world. Humans need to focus less on their own personal gain and more on using what they need and no more.
Al Gore – Book : An Inconvenient Truth-The Crisis of Global Warming
In the book, Al Gore discusses the changes to the earth that are effecting its own viability. Discussed is the reason that greenhouse g
ases effect earth; they collect in space and as sunlight attempts to reflect off the earth’s surface these gases soak up some of the infrared light, not allowing it to exit back into space. This causes an overall warming of earth’s atmosphere as well as the oceans. The famous graph used by Gore to show the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is shown at left; a line that rises rapidly. This line has a peak and a low for each year, which is due to the change in seasons, as the amount of respiration of plants increases in the summer, therefore decreasing carbon dioxide concentration. The atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has risen from about 315ppm to 380ppm in the past 60 years.Gore displays the extreme glacier retreat and snow melt using pictures of glaciers from Mount Kilimanjaro, Glacier National Park, the Himalayas, and more. This book was written in 2005, it states that the hottest day ever recorded was in 2005. Also, of the 21 hottest years ever, 20 of them were in the past five years. Agriculturally, this warmth is a danger as warm air dries out soil, which then may not have enough moisture to sustain a crop. Also discussed is the increase in severe storms, Hurricane Katrina occurred in 2005. Also expected is an increase in precipitation in some areas and a decrease in other areas. Canada is estimated to have increased rain, while much of Africa and Asia will have less rain. The two areas expected to have the most substantial change to their climate are the Polar Regions, the Arctic and the Antarctic. This is dangerous because these areas contain many glaciers and a large amount of snow. As ice and snow melt they will add to the sea, causing an increased sea level which will then be disastrous for low altitude regions, such as Florida, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and New York City.
A world map is shown; each countries size is determined by its contribution to global warming. The United States attributes to 30.3% of global warming, Europe is 27.7%, and Canada and Greenland together are 2.3%. The developing nations contribut
e very little to global warming in comparison to the developed nations. Gore finishes with a few alternatives we can use to decrease our carbon footprint; solar panels, geothermal power stations, fluorescent light bulbs, green roofs, hybrid cars, hydrogen fuel-cell buses, and wind power. Australia and United states are two advanced nations that have not joined the KYOTO protocol, but I believe Australia may be included in KYOTO now.This is a very interesting book that I have had for a while with the intention of reading. There are many illustrations in the book which are also in the film. The book allows a person to examine the illustrations carefully. The book is interesting because there are so many photos and some very strong, informative points.
Classroom Reflections
How can parks meet their dual mandate of access and protection?
-This would be difficult because as discussed in class, if someone finds something worth protecting and then makes it a park the public will be attracted to it. This will then inevitably lead to a decrease in the protection of its natural attributes. If there is a way to allow people to observe what happens at the park without actually going there that would be optimal. For example, if a park housed many different species of wildlife maybe there is a way to set up cameras so that people could watch videos of the park online, or on a television channel. This would be far less destructive then allowing thousands of people to attend the park, therefore chasing away or destroying much of the wildlife.
How can this be achieved in Wapusk?
-Waspusk would be a good location for broadcasting the activities of the park online or on television. If many cameras could be placed in trees or on stands in the park people could tune in and watch the wildlife each day. I think this would be a relatively low disturbance option, although likely fairly costly.
How can parks meet their dual mandate of access and protection?
-This would be difficult because as discussed in class, if someone finds something worth protecting and then makes it a park the public will be attracted to it. This will then inevitably lead to a decrease in the protection of its natural attributes. If there is a way to allow people to observe what happens at the park without actually going there that would be optimal. For example, if a park housed many different species of wildlife maybe there is a way to set up cameras so that people could watch videos of the park online, or on a television channel. This would be far less destructive then allowing thousands of people to attend the park, therefore chasing away or destroying much of the wildlife.
How can this be achieved in Wapusk?
-Waspusk would be a good location for broadcasting the activities of the park online or on television. If many cameras could be placed in trees or on stands in the park people could tune in and watch the wildlife each day. I think this would be a relatively low disturbance option, although likely fairly costly.
Craik Sustainable Living Project
This past March I had the opportunity to visit the Craik Sustainable Living Project (pictured below), in Craik Saskatchewan, while at a school conference at the University of Saskatchewan. The community of Craik is located between Regina and Saskatoon. This project is a building that is very energy efficient, using integrated heati
ng, cooling and renewable energy systems. Cory Gordon, the project manager, gave me and the rest of a group of agriculture students from universities across North America a, tour of the building. The building acts as a gathering place for the community as it functions as the golf course clubhouse, a conference centre, a restaurant, and a gift shop for travellers.
Some interesting things that I remember about the building were the bathrooms; the toilets led to a below ground holding tank for composting human waste. Within the tank were earthworms to aid in the breakdown of the feces. This compost was originally used to fertilize the golf course fairways, but now it only fertilizes the trees along the fairways. The restaurant was known for its pizza which was baked in a fire oven, which also functions as the heat source for the building. The walls and roof were about twelve inches think, and inside were packed with straw for insulation. There south wall was almost completely windows, allowing much sunlight in during the day. Across from the south windows was a wall made of rocks, which hold the heat very well. The beams of the building were all from an old grain elevator that had been torn down. The tables and chairs inside were also made of the recycled elevator lumber. They made use of all the beams which would have otherwise remained unused. The water was heated using a special energy efficient system; unfortunately I don’t remember how it worked.
When I visited the building they were just beginning to sell lots for an energy efficient housing development, with much interest. This tour was very interesting and I would recommend anyone to stop there for a tour.
http://www.craikecovillage.ca/
Vision Statement
“We believe that sustainability will become the dominant issue of the 21st century. Our society needs to develop ways of living that are economically viable and socially just which do not at the same time destroy the ecological base that sustains us and all other life on the planet. The Town and the Rural Municipality of Craik therefore, propose to embark on a joint long-term project in search of ways of living that address the issue of sustainability and rural revitalization through physical demonstration of viable solutions.”
This past March I had the opportunity to visit the Craik Sustainable Living Project (pictured below), in Craik Saskatchewan, while at a school conference at the University of Saskatchewan. The community of Craik is located between Regina and Saskatoon. This project is a building that is very energy efficient, using integrated heati
ng, cooling and renewable energy systems. Cory Gordon, the project manager, gave me and the rest of a group of agriculture students from universities across North America a, tour of the building. The building acts as a gathering place for the community as it functions as the golf course clubhouse, a conference centre, a restaurant, and a gift shop for travellers.Some interesting things that I remember about the building were the bathrooms; the toilets led to a below ground holding tank for composting human waste. Within the tank were earthworms to aid in the breakdown of the feces. This compost was originally used to fertilize the golf course fairways, but now it only fertilizes the trees along the fairways. The restaurant was known for its pizza which was baked in a fire oven, which also functions as the heat source for the building. The walls and roof were about twelve inches think, and inside were packed with straw for insulation. There south wall was almost completely windows, allowing much sunlight in during the day. Across from the south windows was a wall made of rocks, which hold the heat very well. The beams of the building were all from an old grain elevator that had been torn down. The tables and chairs inside were also made of the recycled elevator lumber. They made use of all the beams which would have otherwise remained unused. The water was heated using a special energy efficient system; unfortunately I don’t remember how it worked.
When I visited the building they were just beginning to sell lots for an energy efficient housing development, with much interest. This tour was very interesting and I would recommend anyone to stop there for a tour.
http://www.craikecovillage.ca/
Vision Statement
“We believe that sustainability will become the dominant issue of the 21st century. Our society needs to develop ways of living that are economically viable and socially just which do not at the same time destroy the ecological base that sustains us and all other life on the planet. The Town and the Rural Municipality of Craik therefore, propose to embark on a joint long-term project in search of ways of living that address the issue of sustainability and rural revitalization through physical demonstration of viable solutions.”
