Global Warming... Is it real?

Global Warming is an issue that gained popularity within years. There are several points of view regarding this problem which present different perspectives about this important problem, and that should be considered when having an opinion about the topic:


1) Global Warming is serious and is caused by humans: The millions of tons of gases such as carbon dioxide that humans pump into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels; trap heat, raise the average global temperature, and indirectly cause many negative effects, including floods, storms, and droughts.


2) Media Hysteria: The earth is warming naturally as it overcomes the effects of the Little Ice Age that had plagued the globe until the mid-nineteenth century. Instead, the hysteria over global warming has become a widespread belief, and it has been reinforced by the ignorant media that increases the people's fears.


3) Global Warming is happening but we're not the problem: Geothermal activity and Volcanoes are the cause of the increase in Greenhouse Gasses, which show that they are causing Global Warming.


4) Global Warming will be beneficial: A warmer earth will result in large forests, a decrease in climate-related disasters, increased food production, and a healthier human population.


What do I think?


After considering the different points of view and evaluating the perspectives presented by each of them, I think that global warming may be part of the natural development of earth, although human activities accelerate the process, not letting the earth recover and follow its natural cycle, which may result into a damaging result for the planet.

The three level model... Pollution Management :O

Three level model

·      Human activity producing pollutant

o   Altering human activity through education, incentives and penalties to promote

 Development of alterative tech

Adoption of alternative lifestyles

Reducing, reusing and recycling

·      Release of pollutants into environment

o   Regulating and reducing at points of emission

Standards

Measures to extract pollutants from emissions

·      Long-term impact of pollutants from emissions

o   Cleaning up pollutants and restoring ecosystems

 Extracting and removing pollutant from ecosystems

Replanting and restocking animal populations

Measuring Pollution :)

Detection and monitoring of pollution is a process that can be done directly or indirectly

Directly: Measuring the concentration of pollutants

• Acidity of rain
• Amount of gases in atmosphere or emissions
• Soil pH
• Concentration of nitrates, phosphates, sulfates in soil and water
• Amount of organic matter in soil and water
• Amount of bacteria
• Concentration of (heavy) metals
• BOD (biochemical oxygen demand: the amount of oxygen used by microorganisms to break down organic matter in water): used to determine the pollution of water. The greater the BOD, the more pollution.

Indirectly

• Absence or presence of indicator species

Pollution...

What is it?
The presence of waste or agent which has increased and reached a point where it can't be managed and harms the environment


Types of pollution...
•Point Source: the origin of the pollution can be tracked, they can be measured
•Non-Point Source: Cause of pollution cannot be identified


What is pollution management?
Actions for managing pollution from human activity.


Sources of pollution:

Type	Point Source	Non-point Source
Water	Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant Discharges for chemical agents and organic matter	agricultural and urban runoff
	Industrial Plant Discharges may include metals and chemicals which change water's pH	runoff from mining and construction site
Air	power plants, smelters, industrial and commercial boilers	On road mobile sources like cars and trucks
	wood and pulp processors, paper mills, industrial surface coating facilities, refinery and chemical processing operations, and petroleum storage tanks	natural sources such as windstorms and fires
Soil	Agricultural Pesticides	Runoff

Major pollutants... :O

Pollutant	Causes	Effects
Carbon monoxide	Forms during the incomplete combustion of   carbon-containing materials. Motor-vehicles, burning and forest and grasslands, inefficient stoves, open fires	CO reacts with hemoglobin, reducing blood's ability to transport oxygen. Can cause headaches, nausea, drowsiness.
Carbon dioxide	A result of the carbon cycle, the burning of fossil fuels, and industrial processes	Can alter the pH of water bodies and because of excessive quantities, it is contributing to the greenhouse effect. In the human body, excessive CO2 can cause asphyxiation and kidney damage.
Nitrogen oxides and nitric acid	Combustion of fossil fuels. Motor vehicles are a major contributor. Nitric acid can come from sewage and fertilizers.	Nitrogen oxides harm airways and can lead to respiratory diseases. It also contributes to the formation of ozone. Nitric acid leads to acid rain.
Sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid	Burning of coal and oil, also a byproduct of metal and industrial processes.	Both cause acid rain wich results in acidified soils and bodies of water. Health effects include respiratory and cardiovascular problems
Suspended Particulate Matter	Motor vehicles, coal-burning, fireplaces, power plants.	Causes asthma and decreased lung function. In the environment, it reduces visibility.
Ozone	Formed by the reaction of VOCs and nitrogen oxides.	Causes shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing, but can lead to severe lung problems such as reduced function and irritation.
Radon	Produced by the decay of uranium in soil and water.	Lung cancer.

A new beginning... Policies and Population :)

After Christmas vacations, a new semester of ES&S. After studying population and its effects, the first topic discussed in class was the different policies that countries may adopt in order to have a sustainable population, that is easily adapted to changes and population dynamics. Australia and China are two countries that have established policies regarding population, in order to control and shape its changes into a sustainable population.


Although both countries have the objective of having sustainable populations, the situation in each of them is different and therefore, Australia and China have different aims to be achieved. Australian population aims are to have economic stability, sustainable increase in food production, improve connections between regions, improve infrastructure and address labor shortages. In the other hand, China aims to control population growth, ensure food security and economic development for the country. Because of the different conditions and aims of each country, strategies in order to achieve them vary according to the conditions of the country. 


In the table bellow, a contrast between policies established by both countries is shown.

For more information regarding policies in China check out the following link:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/ab981e/ab981e0c.htm