Earth's Resource Depletion

Earth's Resource Depletion

By: Smaran Thota

Our environment plays an important role in our world by providing air, food, water, etc. This helps us and all animals maintain our whole life-support system. However, there has been a major issue that has been drastically increasing which is resource depletion. This problem occurs when renewable and non-renewable resources become a short supply because it has been consumed way faster than being created. An example that has been an aspect of this problem is deforestation which cut down trees for construction and results in harming the environment. Humans have been depleting resources because of the increasing population which has destroyed animal habitats, released emissions in our atmosphere, polluted the oceans, and has overall affected our environment in many ways.

The human population has been drastically increasing which was a big resource depletion. About 200 years ago, each human had the equivalent 2400 of land and freshwater resources; however, today, each human now has the equivalent 300 of land and freshwater resources. This is a huge reduction in resources because of our population which is 7.7 billion people and is way more than the 1 billion people 200 years ago.

Natural resources are not the only thing that has been depleting, it is also economic resources that have been reducing. The economic development of a nation contributes major to natural resources. The depletion of resources can cause major economic issues for the nation. These resources are very vital to human and the environment if we keep reducing our sources, then there won't be anything left and our Earth will have to suffer.

Resource Depletion has been an issue for many years which started when the Industrial Revolution began. It is a shortage of our resources which has been decreasing faster than being created which is happening by our human population. Our environment helps maintain our vital lives, as well as animal ecosystems and these resources have helped us create nations all over the world. If we can learn how to maintain our resources, then we would have a mass amount for many years to survive just like having 2400 of land and freshwater resources, two-hundred years ago. Being sufficient with these resources will help our environment and our Earth overall be healthy and a safe atmosphere to live in.

Sources:
https://econation.co.nz/resource-depletion/

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-16391040

https://www.buschsystems.com/resource-center/knowledgeBase/glossary/what-is-resource-depletion

https://ourworldindata.org/world-population-growth


Questions:
- Have you ever seen those heavy-duty construction machines on the road?
- What are some solutions to fix this issue?
- What can you do to help our environment?

Destructive Deforestation

By: Arun Pillarisetty

Deforestation has become a major problem in today’s society. People are cutting down trees left and right and burning down vegetation almost every day—or it seems like it. As you all know, deforestation is bad, and bad things always lead to more bad things, which is bad. That’s why we have to take action to stop unnecessary deforestation before it is too late. Notice how I said “unnecessary deforestation”. This is because there is no way we can completely stop it; the world’s population is growing at an exponential rate, and more people means they need more land to live on.

(No offense intended)

There are a whole lot of negative effects of deforestation—a lot more than people realize. Some effects of deforestation include: habitat loss, soil erosion, and global warming. Habitat loss is the most obvious effect and pretty self-explanatory, so I guess I’ll just move on to the next one. Soil erosion happens with loss of vegetation, a result of deforestation. Also, when the deforested lands are turned into farms, the new crops don’t anchor to the soil properly, which further helps the soil erode. In the past 150 years, nearly half of our planet’s fertile top soil has been lost. Wow. What a very sad thing to hear.

Moving on, another result of deforestation is global warming. Global warming happens when trees are burned because trees are 50% carbon. Additionally, with less trees, the carbon cycle will slow down, which in turn leads to more heat being trapped in our atmosphere. This leads to many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many other problems, some of which you may find by scrolling down and reading the other blogs. So in general, deforestation is very harmful to both the earth, and to the species living on the earth in the future, such as that unfortunate man below.

In conclusion, something has to be done to slow down the rate of deforestation. Obviously, we can’t completely stop it, but every country’s government has to step in and enforce stricter laws on deforestation—especially Brazil. Someone has to go down there and knock some sense into those soybean farmers before they burn down the whole Amazon Rainforest and pollute the river. Well, this brings us to the end of this blog. Here’s a juicy question to ponder: How would you feel about living in a world with no trees, plants, or vegetation?

Additional Questions:

What else can we do to discourage deforestation?

Have you ever seen people cutting down trees?

How many years do we have left before there are no trees on earth?

Sources:

https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation-and-forest-degradation

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation/

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/why-is-deforestation-such-a-serious-problem.html

https://www.theonion.com/deforestation-complete-1819563887

Big Oil and Bigger Money- Simran Puri

     The Fossil Fuel Industry has known about man-made emissions and climate change since the late 1970s. Exxon Mobil, for example, has involved itself in a highly controversial campaign, coined #ExxonKnew, because the company found evidence of anthropogenic climate change but hid it from the public eye. Even worse, many pursued efforts of deception by largely contributing to the widespread doubts of climate change. These corporations have known about global warming caused by the unsustainable extraction of their products— oil, coal, and natural gas— but have done worse than nothing.

     The common denominator to the motives behind such deceitfulness is money. This corruption has fueled efforts of suppressing evidence of climate change for decades. The problem lies in the choice to value the economy over the environment— similar to the Tragedy of Commons in terms of selfish gain, but privatized. While humans tend to regard themselves as separate or above nature, the economy and environment are interconnected. In fact, scientists predict that in the next decades to come with climate change, we will experience a global recession. It is essentially illogical to argue that saving the planet will hurt their economy.

One of the worst effects of the Fossil Fuel Industry's corruption is lobbying that occurs in politics/ government affairs. Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence the actions, decisions, or policies of officials or legislators, and in this context monetarily. Companies such as Shell and Chevron spend up to $53,000,000 annually on climate lobbying. The consequences of this are obvious. Many modern day politicians are in essence paid to disregard climate change as a "Chinese hoax" or simply not allow legislation to pass. This money in politics halts any actual actual large scale action to be done. Policies that are tied to the Paris Agreement are not supported because of such companies, and as a result legislation and change is obstructed.

As far as solutions go, economic incentives seem to be the only means to resolve underlying greed and corruption. For example, the 1990 Clean Air Act prompted pollution trading. This meant that companies with higher levels of emissions than were allowed could purchace "passes" from companies that released emissions lower than the cap. This not only balanced the pollution levels but also incentivized companies to lower emissions by being energy efficient so they could save the costs of the "passes." Similarly, a recent trend of Carbon pricing has entered the economic realm. If people are simply going to care about economic gains and profits over the environment, then the only way to combat it is through economic means itself.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/climate/exxon-global-warming-science-study.html

https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/holding-major-fossil-fuel-companies-accountable

https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2019/03/25/oil-and-gas-giants-spend-millions-lobbying-to-block-climate-change-policies-infographic/#42384b087c4f

Questions:

What are solutions to lobbying and money in politics?

What are some modern day examples of environmental policy that should get passed?

How should we hold these oil companies accountable?

How Sustainable is your Electric Car, really?

How Sustainable is your Electric Car, really?

Ishika Pothini

          Believed to be the answer to harmful vehicle emissions, electric cars, or EVs, have grown in popularity. They are believed to hold many benefits compared to conventional internal combust engine automobiles. For instance, they have lower operating and maintenance costs, produce little or no local air pollution, reduce dependence on petroleum, and they use less energy than standard gas or diesel cars. 

       So what's the catch? Since EVs rose to prominence in the 2000s, critics have been skeptical. There are factors when considering the economic sustainability of them. One factor is the "wheel-to-wheel" emission. This takes into consideration the amount of greenhouse gases and air pollutants emitted to produce the energy powering the car. When taking wheel-to-wheel emissions into account, electric vehicles produce 4,450 pounds of CO2 equivalent which is fairly similar to emissions of a conventional car, if not more. 

       Another issue surrounding the increase in demand of EVs is the pollution behind the manufacturing process of their batteries. The battery is composed of a rare earth metals. However, when these metals are extracted and manipulated, more CO2 is emitted than standard vehicles. According to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICTT) reports that Chinese and American battery manufacturers can produce anywhere from 60-66% more CO2 during manufacturing which is more than the average emission from gas cars. How is an electric car saving the earth if its causing the same negative effects as a conventional vehicle?

        Although electrically powered cars, like Tesla, do not directly emit any carbon especially in high volume areas, their production and use does indirectly have the same, if not more, detrimental contribution to our earth's supply of greenhouse gases. In reality, we believe electric cars will solve our vehicle emission problem when the practical solution lies in the use of public transportation, bikes, walking, trains, etc. We cannot solve the growing greenhouse gas issue if we do not enforce these practices. 

Questions:

- How did your previous conceptions around electric cars change?

- Do you own an electric car? If so, how will what you know now affect your opinion of it?

- What alternate practices could we begin in order to actually make a change in the world's growing production of greenhouse gases?

Sources:

https://www.energysage.com/electric-vehicles/advantages-of-evs/evs-environmental-impact/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesellsmoor/2019/05/20/are-electric-vehicles-really-better-for-the-environment/#3e8d0b0476d2

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/06/why-electric-vehicles-make-drivers-anxious/592585/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_aspects_of_the_electric_car

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/electric-cars-are-clean-but-their-batteries-can-be-dirty/

Seashells on the Seashore

Seashells on the Seashore

Kiera O'Neill

If you have ever visited a beach, you have probably taken a seashell at some point. Have you ever thought of what that can do to the ecosystem? By removing shells from beaches, it could damage ecosystems, and endanger organisms that need the shells to survive. Sea shells provide material to make nests for birds, an attachment for algae, shelter for hermit crabs, and as a hideout for fish. 

Researchers have found that when tourism increases at beaches, the number of shells then decreases. This can lead to a decline in the overall health of the beach. One research group, studied the coast of Spain's north-eastern shore, where they conducted monthly data research of seashell abundance between the years of 1978 and 1981. They found that throughout the years, tourism had increased by 300% in the area, while seashells had decreased by 60%. This shows that the behavior of humans impacted the decline in seashells. Shells break down, and provide essential nutrients to organisms that live in the sand. If tourists remove shells, there is an increase on beach erosion, a drop in biodiversity of animals and plants that depend on shells, and a decline in calcium carbonate from recycled shells.

Shells play an important role in the ecology of all beaches and oceans. Once removed, some marine life is greatly impacted, left without shelter and protection from predators and wave exposure.  By removing the spiral shells that hermit crabs house in, they have to find new shelter, living in toxic plastic waste. These items don't fit the curvature of their bodies and make it uncomfortable and potentially dangerous to their living conditions. Other than hermit crabs being affected, shells also provide shelter or an attachment for microorganisms. Crabs, octopuses, and fish also use shells to protect themselves from predators. 

In Costa Rica, it is illegal to remove seashells from all beaches, unless the collector has a permit. Although many get away with it, if put in carry on bag and it is searched by security, it can be confiscated. In Florida, a tourist was sent to prison for trying to take seashells from the beach. In Florida it is illegal to take conch shells if they are still living. The tourist was found guilty and spent 15 days in prison and had a fine of $500. The tourist was traveling from Dallas and had intended on taking the shells to give as gifts back home. This is an ongoing problem with tourism as many are uninformed of the laws where they are travelling. By doing an act they think is harmless, they then face the consequences. Some people are taking actions to inform people how to collect seashells in an eco-friendly manner. Some tips are: Don't take anything that is alive, any large shells or spiral shells, and to take less if you must.

Questions: 

1. Have you ever taken shells from the beach?

2. What can we do to help minimize this problem?

3. Were you aware of the effects taking shells from the beach has on the environment? 

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/may/19/shells-beach-decline-ecosystem-marine-life
https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/7135/20140519/removal-of-seashells-from-the-seashore-could-damage-ecosystem.htm
https://costa-rica-guide.com/practical/tips/shell-game/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/6828161/tourist-jailed-collecting-seashells-florida-beach-key-west/
https://www.travel4wildlife.com/ethical-shell-collecting-guide/

Poaching Problem

Poaching Problem

Sameeksha Nalla

The amount of endangered animals has risen from roughly 11000 to roughly 41000 from last year to this year. While there are multiple reasons why this number has increased so drastically in such a short span of time, one of those major reasons is poaching. Poaching is illegally hunting or capturing of animals for various purposes such as meat, money, or medicine, and it has very strong negative effects on the environment.

In areas where there is rampant poaching, the populations of animals that are illegally hunted such as rhinos, elephants, and wolves are decreasing more rapidly than the species can recover which is leading to a majority of those species to become threatened, endangered, or extinct. The environment is also suffering due to the decrease in all of these species at the same time. 

As one species is poached, it becomes endangered and threatens the stability of the environment in the process as the environment of the poached species is usually sensitive, and this imbalance can lead to other species to become threatened, endangered, or extinct since all of the species in that environment are connected through the food web. 

For example, the North American gray wolf was almost extinct due to poaching. Since the North American gray wolf is a keystone species in its environment, Yellowstone National Park, the decrease in wolves caused the food chain to slowly crumble as the elk population soared due to a lack of predators. With virtually no predators, the elk almost ate the aspen tree to extinction. Ever since the North American gray wolves have been reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park, the elk populations have stabilized, but more importantly, the aspen population came back from the brink of extinction.

What are some potential solutions to poaching? 

What would you do to combat the effects of poaching on the environment? 

Would you ever own an animal product that was obtained through the method of poaching?

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/race-stop-africas-elephant-poachers-180951853/

https://www.the-scientist.com/the-nutshell/poached-toward-extinction-36983

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/the-devastating-effects-of-wildlife-poaching/

A Slithering Problem

Johniel Najera

At least when I think about my personal fears, snakes come to mind. This is shared with a large amount of the population in the world. However, there are some people that like to keep certain breeds such as the Burmese python as pets. These people do not think of the future of their pet and the environment. A large snake like that is not meant to be kept in a small enclosure being watched by someone who most likely does not have an advanced degree in zoology which would give them the ability to take care of the animal. So when the owner no longer wants to take care of the large snake, they just let them go. This is what has and is happening in Florida. People do not think about what they are doing and how it will change in the future which is why the python is an invasive species in Florida. 

In the 80’s, a small amount of Burmese pythons got released into Florida, and as invasive species do, their numbers grew rapidly. Almost nothing eats this large snake, so they were free to grow in numbers. They had an easy time finding prey and dominating the ecosystem that they lived in. They preyed on birds and mammals and they have now drove some species into the endangered list. This is a classic example of how an invasive species can completely disrupt how and ecosystem functions. This animal was introduced at first in the 80’s, and then more as owners released them after having pets. This led to them finding prey in the wild and since they are a natural dominant predator, it was easy for them to do this. This lead to their numbers growing rapidly and their prey numbers dropping. With no natural predator, this trend will continue until all the prey is gone, destroying the ecosystems that are important to the environment and people of Florida.

It is only fair that since humans created the problem, that they try to fix it. Programs such as civilian hunting initiatives have been created to help stop the growth of the population. People can go out and capture and kill this python as an effort to save their ecosystems. An agency also hires 25 hunters that can locate these animals and kill them. They get paid an hourly wage, but serve as protectors of the wildlife that is trying to survive and beat these invasive animals. They have made a dent in the population with over 1000 kills, but they know that there is still a lot to be done. The experts on this issue have a hard time determining how many snakes there are, so it will be very hard to know based on the snake population when major change has been achieved. However, the environment would change and adapt back to what it was before the snakes if the numbers were low enough to where native species could repopulate. 

There is one more concern with the Burmese python issue in Florida: they are breeding so much that a new hybrid has been created. When something like this occurs, the new hybrid has a better ability to survive in that environment and have unique characteristics that give it special advantages in the environment. These specific snakes have already adapted to the environment to be able to disrupt the food web to their advantage, and now they will be more suitable to the environment that they already control. Scientists are fearful that this will only end badly for the people of Florida and their ecosystems if nothing is done. Without more education and awareness of this huge issue, it will never be solved. Citizens of Florida need to stop buying these snakes as pets only to release them a few years later because they are too big. They need to step up and know how to prevent this from happening so that they can stop this invasive species take over.

Questions:

Would you ever own a pet snake? Why or why not?
What other systems could be put into place to lower the number of pythons in Florida?

Do you agree with the killing of the snakes? Or do you think they should be captured and kept somewhere else?

Sources:

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-sb-python-hunt-milestone-20180522-story.html

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/newly-discovered-hybrid-pythons-are-threatening-floridas-wildlife-180970178/

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/insane-snake-attacks/7/

Overfishing

Overfishing
by: Zachary Luong

Humanity has long overlooked the consequences of depending on the seas in order to survive. Similarly, like every other natural resources, the seas are becoming depleted at an intense rate which is identified as the problem of overfishing. Due to overfishing, a large amount of marine species are becoming endangered, causing the disruption of food chains and ecosystems, as well as causing an insecurity for human consumption of resources, due to the overall lack of fish in the sea. 

Environmentalist can agree that Overfishing has brought upon negative effects not just for wild animals, but as well have a backlashing effect on humanity as well. As seen in an article written by the Ceo of World Wildlife Fund Australia, the author gives first hand experience of the negative effects from overfishing on local fisheries: “I saw local fishermen returning at the end of each day with fewer fish to feed their families. I watched as they unloaded their diminished catches, made up mostly of juvenile fish.... It is as much a humanitarian issue and one with profound implications for food security as demand for seafood...” Similarly, in The State Of World Fisheries And Aquaculture, The Food and Agriculture Organization statistics show how marine fishery resources has continued to decline. Statistics also show that the rate of consumption of fish has gone over sustainable rate: “Between 1961 and 2016, the average annual increase in global food fish consumption (3.2 percent) outpaced population growth (1.6 percent)” 

In other respects, it is known that overfishing has caused problems with ecosystems not just by the general decrease in fish in the sea, but as well for putting other aquatic species at risk. For example, according to Jesse R. Zaneveld, the Microbiologist informs: “...overfishing and nutrient pollution impact reefs down to microbial scales, killing corals by sensitizing them to predation, above-average temperatures and bacterial opportunism.” Another way that overfishing causes issues with aquatic ecosystems is through bycatches which is through the process of fishing, a non-target species can be inadvertently killed, injured or impacted. Conjointly, Overfishing is not just a problem in the vast oceans but as well in inland waters. The constant fishing of an individual species in inland waters not only threaten fisheries from making a profit but as well threaten ecosystems to face a biodiversity crisis. For example, the Murray Cod which is native to the Murray-Darling River of Southern Australia and is relatively slow producing, has experienced a sharp decline in population as catch statistics shows during the 1940-1950s. 

As a result of overfishing, we humans have diminished a critical amount of resources in our oceans. Because of overfishing, not only have we negatively affected the environment around us but have brought damage upon ourselves. HOWEVER, there are organizations providing solutions to fix this issue. For instance the Marine Conservation Institute plans to create 10% of our oceans to be marine protected areas. Additionally, The chinese government has placed a ban on trawling that took into effect in December 2012. 

The solutions to overfishing do not only rely on big organizations but onto you as well. As consumers, we can also help avoid the problems of overfishing by making smarter choices by: buying locally, avoiding big fish which have been overfished for years, consuming smaller fish, consuming wild instead of farmed fish, etc. Above all, the most vital solution we could have is the education and spread of awareness of overfishing.

Questions:

Do you like seafood?

Were you aware of the problems faced with overfishing?

What do you think are some long term effects of overfishing?

How can you help fight overfishing? 

Sources:

http://therevolutionmovie.com/index.php/open-your-eyes/overfishing/solutions/

www.theguardian. com/sustainable-business/2016/feb/16/overfishing-is-as-big-a-threat-to-humanity-as-it-is-to-our-oceans.

www.jstor.org/stable/30245163.

 www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11833/.