Monthly Archives: April 2022

Water is Life

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Water is an essential part of the human experience. We are made of water. We use water to drink. We use water to clean. We use water to cook. We use water to bathe. In fact, the origins of life on earth stem from the water itself. Water is essential for life on earth, however, it is being jeopardized by the huge amounts of pollution that humans are creating. Companies and industries are particularly bad for producing waste that ends up in our water. This is a serious threat to human health. Unbelievably “Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined” (Denchak). While citizens of developed countries may not think twice about the water that they drink, and how they get it, citizens of developing countries are still at risk of being poisoned by unhealthy water. Many people believe that water is a basic human right. In my opinion, the fact that Americans use 5 times more than the global average is pretty sad. Access to water is a human rights issue as well. Another huge problem is that the vast majority of water on earth is not drinkable. Most of the water on earth is saltwater that cannot be used as a drinking source for humans and  “Less than 1 percent of the earth’s fresh water is actually accessible to us”. This means that the amount of freshwater that we have as a resource for the almost 8 billion people here on earth is very limited. While the human population continues to grow, eventually it will get to the point where there simply is not enough water for everyone on earth. This is a very depressing thought to me. I believe that developed counties have a responsibility to help provide developing countries with access to water. If the United States wants to be a great country, it must act like one.

 

Works Cited:

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know

 

Water we doing?

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Agriculture uses an incredible amount of water each year. Meat from cows alone uses a global average of 15 400 m 3 /tons of water (“Water footprint of crop and animal products: a comparison”). This number increases when considering the farming process. Agriculture isn’t the only culprit for water use and waste. The EPA states that an average U.S. “family can waste 180 gallons [of water] per week or 9400 gallons annually” (“Statistics and Facts | US EPA”).  It is common for American families to water their lawns which is an incredible waste of water. To put it in perspective, watering an average size lawn for 20 minutes daily uses the same about of water as 800 showers or a year worth of showers for an average family (“Statistics and Facts | US EPA”). If we stop watering lawns which is not a necessity and rather just for appearance, we could save a large amount of water. the average shower uses 17.2 gallons of water so every family who waters their lawn would be saving 13,760 gallons annually (“Shower In an average home”).

I think that bottled water is popular because it is convenient and people trust it more than they may trust the water from their faucet. Along with this, some people don’t like the taste of the water at Union, especially so they opt for bottled. I estimate that 1,000 students on campus drink about two, one-liter bottles of bottled water a day from the bookstore. If we are on campus for 210 days per year I estimate that the campus consumes 420,000 bottles of water each academic year. It takes 1/4 liter of oil to produce a liter bottle, therefore 1.1 x 10^5 of oil is used to produce the water bottles that Union consumes. The Most popular water at Union is essential which is from WA. It takes around 18,000 gallons of fuel to fly from WA to JFK and another 8.66 gallons to drive from JFK to Union if the vehicle is getting 20 miles to the gallon. Therefore it takes roughly 18008.66 gallons of fuel to transport water to our campus.

 

Melanie Goldman

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Hi! My name is Melanie Goldman and I’m from Westchester, NY. I am a junior psych major and I recently visited my friends abroad! I love to read and spend time with my family and friends. My understanding of sustainability is limited in that I have never formally learned about it, only pieced together information from the news, articles, and other forms of social media. I look forward to learning more about what I and others can do to reduce our collective carbon footprint in a realistic way, as well as really understanding the scale of the situation we are in.

Oceans and Marine Systems

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Oceans cover the largest portion of Earth’s surface (71% of Earth’s surface is water and oceans makeup 96% of Earth’s water supply). It’s extremely important to consider and be concerned about our oceans and what climate change and human activity is inflicting upon them. Sea-level rise, ocean acidification, overfishing, pollution, ecological collapse, dead zones, and more. Within each of these larger problems are more sub-problems. Sea-level rise and polar ice caps melting, ocean acidification and the bio-pump, overfishing and bycatch, and pollution and micro plastics (the Pacific Garbage Patch is currently 1.6 million square kilometers). Humanity relies heavily on oceanic processes and marine resources, if more sustainable practices were used and enforced the ocean (and the global environment) wouldn’t be in such a compromised position. The ocean also acts as a HUGE carbon sink so not only do human lives revolve around the ocean in the literal resource sense but it is also taking in so much of the carbon humanity produces. The ocean can’t take in carbon forever, the effects of this are already been seen in phytoplankton and zooplankton, the ocean is becoming warmer and nutrient deficient which will have cascading effects on marine food chains.

Veganism and Carbon Dioxide

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When it comes to reducing carbon footprint and greenhouse effect, most people think of recycling or saving shower time to reduce water usage. However, one of the major ways that contributes to carbon footprint that we less often discuss is the cultivation and the consumption of meat. Surely, we hear about ¨green mondays¨ and we are encouraged to eat plant-based meals once in a while. However, the preaching of vegetarianism or veganism is still a radical idea for many. In this short article, I would like to compare the impact that veganism would have on reducing carbon footprint vs other methods. According to PETA UK, the amount of meat that a meat-eater consumes on a daily basis requires 15,000 liters of water to produce. In fact, one single steak itself requires water equivalent to 50 bathtubs to produce. According to a search done by Loma Linda University in California, vegans have the smallest carbon footprint, contributing 41.7 percent less volume of greenhouse gas than meat eaters. 

My point is not to say that saving water in the shower is not useful at carbon footprint, rather, I believe it is an important conversation how useful some of these methods are in comparison to others. Plant-based meals are a wildly available option to many in our country, however, it is not a popular method to combat climate change in comparison to others such as ¨turning off the lights¨ or ¨recycling¨. I believe that it’d be useful if we are educated on the impact that each of these methods have on the environment so that we have a better understanding of the consequences of our actions. 

Citation:

Fight the Climate Crisis

https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/fight-the-climate-crisis/

Fluckiger, 10 Shocking Stats About Water and Meat-Eating, 2021

https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/10-shocking-stats-about-water-and-meat-eating/ 

Killer CO2

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From our course load and previous scientific course knowledge, we are all aware of some of the dangers that are inherent with carbon dioxide. Our Earth’s ability to absorb and filter carbon dioxide is limited and we cannot afford to depend on our oceans to prevent major change in the world that we know. Reports from the IPCC insist that irreversible temperature changes can be expected during our lifetime with a 1.5 degrees Celsius increase as soon as 2030. Further, the IPCC predicts an increase of 2 degrees Celsius by 2050. This increase would not be extremely noticeable during our daily lives, however experts emphasize that this is not the point. Technology exists that can help to eliminate carbon dioxide before it reaches levels of our atmosphere. This technology is called “negative-emmisions” and they are invaluable for climate goals set by global leaders. These technologies are not enough by themselves, but combined with emission cuts, they would jointly help us towards minimizing climate change. The FUTURE Act, a 2018 federal law, rewards negative-emmisions technologies,

“Nevertheless, there are some bright spots for NETs in the US, Pacala says. For example, a 2018 federal law, the FUTURE Act, provides a $50 tax credit for each metric ton of CO2 that is captured and stored underground. Also, recent changes to the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard program allows greenhouse gas polluters that fail to meet a declining state emission cap to buy emission credits from companies that captured and sequestered CO2. Those emission credits have been trading at $190 per metric ton. Both programs could generate funds for NET development.”

This rewarding of environmentally sound practices is necessary for more global involvement and investment in these technologies. As we discussed in class, large bodies of water, specifically oceans, absorb huge quantities of carbon-dioxide. Wetlands are just as important for their absorption qualities, thus making the need to preserve and protect these areas even more time-conscious. These areas absorb massive amounts of harmful carbon-dioxide, “The plants take in some 840 million t of CO2 each year. The National Academies report estimates this level could more than double in the near future with active restoration and wetland creation, reaching additional cumulative storage of 5.4 billion t of CO2 by 2100.”

Globally we can achieve our goals of minimizing our effect on the planet by preserving natural areas and resources before it is too late.

Works Cited:
https://cen.acs.org/environment/greenhouse-gases/Capturing-carbon-save-us/97/i8
https://joshuacross.com/florida-wetlands-guide/ (image)

The Effects of Carbon Dioxide Emissions on POC’S

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Communities of color are extremely effected by the burning of fossil fuel. it is reported that People of color breathe “in 40% more polluted air than white communities across the US. ” Fossil fuels are viewed as the main cause of this. The effects of the extreme amount of Carbon Dioxide emissions are extreme. Some of the effects include high blood pressure, coma, asphyxia, convulsions, etc. In fact in the US POC’s are 38% more likely to be exposed to asthma. Something that surprised me while researching for this blog post is that, even though Black people make up 13% of the US population 68% live within 30 miles of coal plants compared to 56% of white people. Coal plants are places where coal is burned in order to make electricity, bought throughout his process they are releasing. a large amount of fossil fuels into the atmosphere. Now don’t get me wrong these are both huge numbers and we really should be asking ourselves why are their so many coal plants to begin with, but we should also be asking ourselves why is it that people of color are significantly more effected by this than white people? and why are POC communities specifically where they want to be building coal plants, what makes that environment the best fit? In 2020 alone the US has emitted 4.58 billions metric tons of carbon dioxide now let’s imagine how the POC community was effected by this. Fossil fuels come from everywhere 29% is burned through transportation, 25% through electricity, 23% through industry, etc. These are things that we we use/interact with in our daily lives. We need to be able to be made aware of because the rise of CO2 emissions effect the environment we live in, in different ways. Although Carbon Dioxide is the fourth most abundant gas in our atmosphere it is still something that we need to watch the levels for!

Work Cited:

Fernandez Rysavy, Tracy, and Andre Floyd. “Green America.” Www.greenamerica.org, www.greenamerica.org/climate-justice-all/people-color-are-front-lines-climate-crisis.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data.” US EPA, 9 Apr. 2018, www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services. “Carbon Dioxide.” Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 2 Jan. 2018, www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/chemical/carbondioxide.htm#:~:text=Exposure%20to%20CO2%20can%20produce.

 

Is Climate Change at a point of no return? The impact of CO2.

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The first class that I took which dove deeply into understanding climate change and its routes was AP Environmental Science my junior year of high school. I took that course in 2018 and have not taken many classes since that contain the same overlapping topics. Because it has been a few years since I learned deeply about the climate change, I focused my research for this blog post about how green house emissions have altered since then and whether or not climate change is reversible. In my readings, I learned that before the Paris Climate Agreement of 2014, it was expected that the Earth’s average temperature would increase by roughly 4.2* celsius by the end of the century would which would have proven to be catastrophic. However, with the advanced focus on saving our planet, the curve has shifted downwards in the last few years projecting a 3* increase, which still is dangerous but there is more room still for the curve to shrink. A huge reason for the positive trend in the temperature curve is due to the increasing availability of save and renewable energy sources such as electric cars, solar, and wind options. The worlds average ocean temperature is roughly 17* F which is one of the main sources of projecting the climate change curve. A shift in that temperature of even .25% either direction will reverse the positive shift in the curve. Water temperature as well as temperature on land again is all directly correlated to green house gas emissions and an abundance od CO2 in the atmosphere.

 

Cites

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/10/25/climate/world-climate-pledges-cop26.html

 

How humans most contribute to carbon dioxide emissions

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Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas and since the industrial revolution, has been rising in levels in our atmosphere contributing to global warming and climate change.  According to the EPA, as of 2019, carbon dioxide accounts for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions that stem from human activities.  Knowing this, it means that, to reduce these emissions and mitigate global warming, we must be conscious of which activities we do that contribute to carbon dioxide emissions in our atmosphere the most.  Combustion of fossil fuels is by far the human activity most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions; from transportation to energy use, fossil fuels are used often by human beings and are therefore responsible for the majority of carbon dioxide emissions.  Transportation, in 2019, was responsible for 35% of carbon dioxide emissions; as fossil fuels such as diesel and gasoline are combusted to act as fuel for transportation, they contributed the most to carbon dioxide emissions.  From cars to planes to trains, most forms of transportation rely on the combustion of fossil fuels and are the greatest way in which humans contribute to carbon dioxide emissions.  The second and third most important ways in which humans contribute to the aforementioned emissions are through electricity, which is responsible for 31% of emissions, followed by industry at 16%, both also due to the use of fossil fuels for energy.   By adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere through these processes, humans have contributed to an increase in the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.  While this is an issue as it is a main contributor of climate change, to help address this issue, we first need to become aware of what human processes have contributed the most to the addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere so we can figure out solutions and alternatives to the burning of fossil fuels.  From this data, we can see that focusing on energy efficiency will be the best solution in regards to mitigating our contributions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

 

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases#carbon-dioxide

Rising Co2 levels impact on human health

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When researching rising levels of CO2, it’s easy to find topics such as climate change and how that may affect the environment as we know it.  However, what’s not talked about throughout the media often is the affect the rise of Carbon dioxide has on human health.  In fact,  CO2 levels of 1,000ppm have been found common in small confined spaces, such as classrooms, offices, bedrooms, and planes.  Now this may not seem that important, but carbon dioxide levels over 1,000ppm can cause inflammation as well as reduced cognitive function, and those levels are not that hard to pass within the confined spaces that I mentioned.  Chronic Exposure  levels from 2,000ppm to 3,oooppm can cause even worse damage such as kidney calcification and bone demineralization.  When thinking about the environment, and how climate change is impacting the world, that also causes quite the dilemma when it comes to human health as well.  Air pollution kills 9 million people every year, and as the temperature rises, the problem only gets worse.  In a 2008 study, rising levels of CO2 can cause the temperature to go up by 1 degree celsius, causing ozone damage which can kill 22,000 people due to asthma or some sort of respiratory illness.

I think human health is very important to note since there are still quite a lot of people who do not believe in climate change still to this day.  Possibly bringing up the fact that CO2 levels rising can directly affect one’s health may shine a light on the subject, since the affect on the environment may not be enough.  It’s very evident to see that within the media there’s been a rise in hurricanes and fires, and ticks have been increasingly apparent due to climate change.  Although these are little things at the moment, it’s only a matter of years before there’s irreversible damage to the planet as well as people’s lives.  Hopefully with more outlets supporting the negative impact climate change has on human health, more people can be aware and acknowledge the dangers.

 

work cited:

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-affects-health-2018-5

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/climatechange/health_impacts/index.cfm

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.543322/full