The following is a unit compilation for
chapters 12(12.1,12.2,12.4), 8(8.1-8.3),
of Cunningham, William P., and Mary Ann Cunningham.
“Principles of Environmental Science –Inquiry and Applications, 6th ed.”
(New York: Copyright 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2011)
Table of Contents
Chapter 12
sections 12.1, 12.2, 12.4
Topic: Energy
Subtopics:
Resources of Energy and Uses
Fossil Fuels
Conservation of Energy
Resources of Energy and Uses
In the case study at the beginning of chapter 12 we see that
China is swiftly on it’s way to becoming the leader in renewable energy. Rizhao
is a prevalence in China where 99 percent of the homes have solar panels that
heat water and give energy for other needs. China also has a great development of wind turbines.
We have many sources of energy like water, wind, and muscle
power by domestic animals but we are most dependant on the energy from fossil
fuels. Petroleum, natural gas, and coal are the fossil fuels that make up 88
percent of the colds commercial energy dependence. Our dependence on these
fossil fuels is bad for our environment. The world needs to follow China and
start focusing of renewable energy like sun and wind.
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| http://dailychode.blogspot.com/ • accessed 4/23/12 |
The United States in only 4.5 percent of the worlds
population but we consume a quarter of the fossil fuels that the world
produces. Petroleum makes up the larges used fossil fuel and renewable
resources are coming in dead last. In this country each person uses about 60
barrels of oil per year. In poor countries people are living a year of the
amount of oil one person would use in a day. Americans and other richer
countries have become very spoiled and wasteful when it comes to preserving
fossil fuels.
There are many ways that we use all of this energy.
Transportation accounts for 28 percent of the fossil fuel use in America.
Industrial use is the leader in the consumption of energy using 31 percent.
Industrial use includes mining, milling smelting, and forging metals.
Residential use is 22 percent and commercial use is 19 percent.
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| http://www.ourclimate.net/altenergy.htm • Accessed 4/23/12 |
Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels are made from carbon bases materials such as
decomposed algae and other plant material that has been buried under layers of
rocks for millions of years. Some of the riches fossil fuel is as old as 360
million years back when the earth was wetter and warmer.
In North America we have an abundance of coal. Coal produces
energy when you burn it. The amount of coal that is in North America could fuel
the area for thousands of years. The down side to using coal as an energy
source is how we have to mine it and the unhealthy chemicals that are produced
when it is burned. Under ground coal mines are unstable and many miner have
died from tunnel collapses. Coal mines also kill miners with the toxic fumes of
underground coal mining. Another popular way of mining coal is mountain top
removal. This form of mining is very bad for the surrounding ecosystems.
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http://www.kenlight.com/gallery/appalachia/coalminer.html • Accessed 4/23/12 |
Because of all the toxin that are released into the air when
burning coal to create energy coal power plants have created new systems. The
integrated gasification combined cycle or IGCC is one of the newest and
cleanest methods in converting coal into energy. The IGCC power plants produce
energy without all the air pollution and water pollution. Japan currently has
18 of the IGCC plant but the United States only has one in Tampa due to the
high cost of constructing this type of power plant. In order to make the
environmentally friendly IGCC plant appealing to corporate power the United
States needs to offer some sort of an incentive.
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| http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/coalpower/gasification/pubs/photo.html • Accessed 4/23/12 |
Most of the world’s oil that is accessible is in the Middle
East. With the current trends in oil use we can estimate 41 more years worth of
oil to use. The cost of oil has changed dramatically over the years for $15 per
barrel in 1993 to $150 per barrel in 2008. When the cost of oil goes up it is
human nature to find other for cost efficient ways to get energy but as soon as
oil prices go down we return to our wasteful ways.
Oil supplies in the United State are very limited. We have
already used over half of our recoverable petroleum. Currently we have enough
oil in the United State to last 4 years at our current consumption rate.
(Gulf oil disaster video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlPPFcy-3Vo • Accessed 4/23/12
The United State is currently importing most of the oil from
Canada. Canada is retrieving the oil from tar sands. This is a very messy
process that takes up a lot of space and water. Removing oil from tar sands is
devastating on the environment. Oil shales that are seen in Wyoming and Utah
are more environmentally friendly American oil sources.
Natural gas is increasing in popularity making it 24
percent of the world’s energy. Natural gas is better burning and puts out less
pollution. On the down side the mining of natural gas needs to improve. Water
is used to disperse the gas and this pollutes the water. Please see NATURAL RESOURCES LAB PROJECT for more information.
Conservation of Energy
Conserving energy is promotes a healthy environment. We can
conserve energy by using less but also by making technological advancements to
use energy more wisely, with less waste.
With the rise in fuel cost demands for more fuel efficient
vehicles and advancement in fuel efficiency have been developed. Homes have
also developed in becoming more and more energy efficient over the last decade
with rainwater catching, solar, and double pained window. Over the last decade it has become “cool”
to “Go Green”.
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http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/low-cost-energy-efficient-home-for-families-in-need-project-in-argentina.html • Accessed 4/23/12
Table of Contents
Chapter 8, sections 8.1-8.3
Topic: Toxicology and
Environmental Health
Subtopics:
Fiery Serpent
Environmental Health
SARS Case Study
Resistance
Toxicology
Distribution, Movement, and the Fate of Toxins
Fiery Serpent
In the case study of the Fiery
Serpent we see that with a crusade of information and community organization
can improve the health of millions. The Fiery Serpent is a worm or parasite
that people get from contaminated drinking water. The worm then grows to three
feet long inside the human body before burrowing its way out of the foot or
eye. To stop the spread of these worms people were educated on how to strain
their water and deep fresh water wells were drilled. Now a dramatic depletion of
the worm is seen.
Environmental Health
Environmental health focuses on
the things in the environment that can cause disease. The World Health
Organization or WHO defines health as the full wellness of physical, mental and
social and not just whether or not there is disease and illnesses.
The diseases that are burdening
the world are changing. Caner and heart disease are on the rise. The health
organizations are also changing how they are calculating wellness. They are
taking into consideration disability-adjusted life years or DALYs. Taking into
consideration disabilities as well as deaths reveals the true burdens of
disease on an area. Some of the diseases and disabilities that will make
themselves more sizeable by 2020 are depression and tobacco smoking illnesses.
Many infectious diseases can be
prevented by better nutrition, clean water, and sanitation. In 1918 there was a
breakout of influenza that was a pandemic and had the greatest loss of life
from and individual disease in one year. Every year the United State has 76
million cases of food borne illnesses and food recalls due to bacteria or
intestinal protozoa. The most prevalent infectious disease in the world is
Malaria. Then we also have the emergent diseases like H1N1, AIDS, HIV and
HTLV.
Humans are not the only ones
that are affected by infectious diseases. Domestic and wild animals can also
fall prey to widespread epidemics that are sometimes called ecological
diseases.
http://www.earthtimes.org/pollution/new-year-gift-dead-birds-fish/175/ • Accessed 4/27/12
SARS Case Study
Environmental
Case Study
“The Cough Heard Round the
World” and “The Next Pandemic?”
Back in 2003 China had an outbreak
of an infectious disease, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS. The
symptoms were fever, chills, headaches, muscle pain and a cough. The disease
was deadly for the elderly.
SARS spread to 31 different
countries and killed 812 people. It was rumored that a flight attendant spread
the disease. It is also rumored that the emergence of the disease may have been
from the eating of exotic animals.
http://blackscientist.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/swine-flu/ • Accessed 4/27/12
Resistance
Bacteria is changing and
developing resistance to antibiotics and pesticides. Just like with natural
selection, these bacteria are finding ways to survive. “Many pests and
pathogens were exposed only minimally to control measures, allowing those with
natural resistance to survive and spread their genes through the population.” (Cunningham)
All the antibiotics that are given to the livestock also degrade the
antibiotics strength against bacteria.
(HOW microbes acquire antibiotic resistance video • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUdFQ-I99XU) • Accessed 4/27/12
The poorest areas of the world have the highest burden of illness.
In these areas of poverty there are people living without the means or
education to prevent illness. The United States is one of the riches country
that donates the least amount of money to aid the poverty stricken areas.
Aiding in these area is not only to help the people that are less fortunate,
aid also prevents world wide breakouts of deadly diseases like SARS.
Toxicology
“Toxicology is the study of the adverse effects of external
factors on an organism or a system. This includes environmental chemicals,
drugs, and diet as well as physical factors, such as ionizing radiation, UV
light, and electromagnetic forces. In addition to studying agents that cause
toxicity, scientists in this field are concerned with movement and fate of
poisons in the environment.” (Cunningham)
Toxins affect us in many ways like allergens that are
substances that activate our immune systems. Some people are susceptible to
what is known as sick building syndrome. Some people have reactions from being
inside with poor air quality such as headaches, allergies, and chronic fatigue.
More than 850 compounds are seen as neurotoxins. Neurotoxins
are poisons that attack the nerve cells. Some neurotoxins are heavy metals like
lead and mercury. They attack and kill nerve cells, causing permanent damage.
Some of the other toxins are mutagens, teratogens and carcinogens. The top five
toxic and hazardous substances are Arsenic, Lead, Mercury, Vinyl chloride, and
Polychlorinated biphenyls.
A new environmental health threat is endocrine hormone
disrupters. These are chemicals that interrupt the normal function of the
endocrine hormone. This can cause disrupt thyroxin and obstruct sex hormones.
http://www.altecweb.com/home.asp?cat=Subcategory480 • Accessed 4/27/12
Distribution, Movement, and the Fate of Toxins
There are many factors in determining the level of toxicity
of a chemical to the environment including how much is existing and what kinds
of exposure there are to what kinds of organisms. Also an important factor is
how the chemicals move.
Solubility is important in how and where the toxic substance
moves in the environment. Determining if a toxic substance is water-soluble or
oil-soluble will determine how it will affect its environment. Another factor in how the toxins moves/distribute is
exposure and the environments susceptibility. Persistence is a factor that can
make the levels of toxicity rise along with interaction with other chemicals.
Table of Contents
Chapter 15 sections 15.1-15.5
Topic: Environmental Policy and
Sustainability
Subtopics:
Clean Water Act
Policy and Law
Environmental Laws
Policies made into Law
International Policies
Individuals making a difference
Clean Water Act
Back in 1969 the rivers would
catch fire due to the high levels of oil, methane, and tires that polluted
them. The Cuyahoga River was almost dead until the Clean Water Act saved it. We
have come a long way when it comes to regulations and environmental policy.
(1969 Cuyahoga River fire)
http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/events/earthday/cuyohoga_fire.html • Accessed 5/6/12
Policy and Law
Laws and policy are important in
insuring that we have rules and regulations in place that protect human
interests and the environment. Industry, interest groups, labor unions, and
wealth/powerful individuals drive policy into action. Possibly the most important and powerful is public
citizenship when it comes to driving policies. Citizens all over the world have made a profound impact in
environmental quality through protests.
The creation of a policy or laws
generally goes through a cycle starting with identifying the problem. Once the
issue has been identified and agenda is set, proposals are developed, a support
group is built up, the law or rule is enacted, the policy is implemented, the
results are evaluated and then there is all way the fine-tuning where
suggestions and changes are made.
Analyzing the costs and benefits
of a policy can complicate the public decision making process because people
value things differently. A policy that has clear benefits for all is more
swiftly put into place.
Environmental Laws
We have come to depend on
environmental laws to protect the air we breath, the water we drink, and the
food we eat. These laws also protect the biodiversity that play such an
important role in the balance of our lives. Some of the most important policies
in the United States are the NEPA, The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act,
Endangered Species Act, and the Superfund Act. The NEPA of 1969 or the National
Environmental Policy Act does three things: it establishes the CEQ or Council
on Environmental Quality, it directs agencies to take in to consideration consequences
for decisions, and it produces an environmental impact statement.
The Wilderness Act of 1964 was set
up to preserve our national wilderness areas. The National Environmental Policy
Act was put into place in 1969. The Clean Air Act of 1970 was responsible for
developing the standards and requirements for air quality. The Federal
Pesticides Control Act of 1972 requires the regulation of all the pesticides
used in the United States. There was a big modification to the Pesticide Act in
1996.
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/rach3l/2358309976/ • Accessed 5/6/12
Policies made into Law
Policies are made into law through
the legislative branch of the federal government. Federal laws are statute that
are enacted by Congress and signed by the president. All of these laws and policies are public record and can be
found online at www.thomas.gov and at www.epa.gov/lawsregs/
Legal disputes are resolved by the
judicial branch of the government. The Supreme Court is the highest court. Case
law is the body of legal opinions from court cases. Criminal law is more
serious crimes such as murder or theft. To resolve issues between individuals
and corporations we have civil law.
Administrative law is directed by
the executive branch of the government. There are over one hundred different
agencies that oversee the United State’s environmental rules and
regulations.
International Policies
Many Nations have realized that
policies on environmental protection need to coincide globally. We all have a play
a part in protecting the world. It would do no good to create a Utopia down
stream of a pollution nightmare.
Currently more than 170 treaties
have been negotiated in protecting our global environment. Some of the
international miles stones have been to protect wetlands, cultural sites,
establish fundamental right to a healthy/safe environment, and protect
migratory species.
Pride has a lot to do with
enforcement of these international policies. It’s all about looking good in the
eyes of the world. Most countries don’t want to look immoral or irresponsible
in the international community therefore they strive to follow the
environmental policies.
Individuals making a difference
Education is the key to change. It
is important to share with others how important a clean environment is. Pass
along the information on how to do our part. Purchase less, reduce excess
packaging, avoid disposable items, conserve energy, and save water.
Worked Cited
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The following is a unit compilation for chapters 12(12.1,12.2,12.4), 8(8.1-8.3),
of Cunningham, William P., and Mary Ann Cunningham. “Principles of Environmental Science –Inquiry and Applications, 6th ed.” (New York: Copyright 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2011)
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/rach3l/2358309976/
http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/events/earthday/cuyohoga_fire.html
http://www.altecweb.com/home.asp?cat=Subcategory480
http://blackscientist.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/swine-flu
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