How Fast Fashion Is Destroying The Planet

By: Khulan Gantugs

March 29, 2020

https://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-fashion/why-revolution-within-fashion-industry-so-desperately-needed.html

In recent years the fast fashion industry has had a dramatic shift to a new model of industry known as a fast fashion. In a world with an increasing concern for environment and social justice people must examine the industries that they interact with everyday, including the fast fashion. Most people buy fast fashion clothes but they do not acknowledge that it has many negative impacts on both the environment and human rights. 

Fast fashion brands know what people want and they know how to satisfy the consumers with cheap priced clothes and that’s why they’ve become well-known and popular.  Brands such as Zara, H&M and Forever 21 get daily deliveries of their new merchandise, and Topshop launches 400 styles a week on its website. These fast fashion brands are trying to make people feel like they are “left out” or “uncool” if they don’t follow the latest fashion trends. Even though fast fashion is cheap and trendy it has some serious negative impacts on the environment and human rights. According to the Institute of Sustainable Communication, the clothing industry is the second highest polluter of clean water. Therefore, fast fashion retailers dump toxic chemicals into the clean water. Most fast fashion retailers take advantage of less developed countries where they have a resource, cheap labour and still depend on coal power for electricity. In order to make different kinds of clothes it takes a lot of coal power and this is known as a bad-carbon footprint. Also, it requires a lot of oil to ship the clothing worldwide. As a negative impact on human rights, fast fashion brands do not pay workers a living wage. Most fast fashion clothes are made in less developed countries such as Colombia, Bangladesh and Vietnam. All of these countries' labor standards are very low and most of them are female employees. Only less than 2% of these women earn a living wage. Most female employers can’t even afford to buy the cheap, fast fashion that they are producing to send overseas. 

This topic relates to our course because we often talk about how the environment is slowly getting worse by human actions. This is an example of how humans and fast fashion brands are negatively affecting the environment and carbon footprint. In class we talked about three social science principles of sustainability and this topic is connected with the third principle which is the responsibility to the future (ethics). The more we buy fast fashion clothes means that we are ignoring our responsibility for the future and hurting our environment. In my opinion, if people are shopping at a fast fashion retailer that means they are not buying clothings locally. In order to solve this problem, people need to buy less fast fashion clothes and buy and support more local clothing brands. Also, I believe people need to acknowledge themselves on how fast fashion is affecting our society and environment and educate themselves on the sustainability and ethical movements in the fashion industry. 

http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/12/02/fashion-suppliers

Citation

Donato, Jill Di. 2018. “Why Fast Fashion Is Killing the Planet and Your Ethics.” Culture Trip. 

Accessed March 26, 2020. 

https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/why-fast-fashion-is-killing-the-planet-a

nd-your-ethics/.

The Untold Harm of Hydro Dams

 

The Belo Monte dam in the Brazilian Amazon. One of the biggest in the world, it was plagued by government and corporate corruption, did extensive socio-environmental damage, and has failed dramatically in producing promised amounts of electricity. Image courtesy of Wasserkraftwerk.

By Michael Schuy

Thousands of hydroelectric dams are being planned across the world but many people don't know the negative environmental and cultural impact these dams have. Dams are famous for providing jobs, clean water supply, and energy. This is why most developed and developing countries are attracted to finance these hydropower projects. However, most people are not aware of the true costs that come from building dams. About 427 million people have experienced the negative effects of dam construction. The people that live in downstream, river-dependent communities may be displaced in the initial dam planning. The chances that these peoples food securities and livelihoods will be disrupted are heightened by dam construction. Communities suffer immeasurable cultural losses from these hydropower construction projects, that drastically change the environment. The cost of removing a dam once it's no longer useful is another reason why dams should not be constructed. If people added both the cost to build and the cost remove then local governments would consider other means of producing energy. Dam construction and development cause an enormous amount of environmental damage. As a result of the initial construction and deforestation, the grounds around the dam will have increased sediment deposits. Shortening the dam's useful lifespan and requiring the expensive process known as dredging to clean out unwanted debris. This topic relates to our course as dams are major construction projects that damage the environment and the surrounding ecosystem. Messing up the livelihoods of local communities, disrupting the land, and the local wildlife. When the water cycle is disrupted because of a significant increase in deforestation it leads to a decrease in precipitation and consequently less availability of water for rivers. Additionally, if drought occurs in the region of the dam, the river flow will decrease and this will mean less power produced by the dam. There is a true monetary, environmental and cultural cost with our hydroelectric dam consumption. I contend that governments reconsider giving out contracts to build these massive concrete walls. There has to be other more cost-effective solutions to providing clean renewable power to people. I believe that governments and dam contractors need to find ways to build hydro dams that don't endanger the very ecosystems and people that have to tolerate living by these massive concrete monuments. 

Works Cited

Kimbrough, Liz. “The Hidden Costs of Hydro: We Need to Reconsider World's Dam Plans.” Mongabay Environmental News, 5 Mar. 2019, news.mongabay.com/2019/03/the-hidden-costs-of-hydro-we-need-to-reconsider-worlds-dam-plans/. 

Moran EF, Lopez MC, Moore N, et al (2018) Sustainable hydropower in the 21st century. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115:11891–11898. doi: 10.1073/PNAS.1809426115

Zion National Park Faces Environmental Challenges Due To Increased Tourism

By: Mason Yattaw

March 29, 2020

Photo I took of the entrance sign to Zion National Park

Zion National Park rightfully deserves its ‘National Park’ designation. It truly is an amazing place and is home to many animals and geographical features only found in the American southwest. Unfortunately, the park, like many other US National Parks, is facing environmental degradation. 

The biggest problem that National Parks in the US face is increased tourism. Many people have never even heard of Zion, so it can be surprising that this smaller park still faces the same issues as Grand Canyon National Park, for example. Increased tourism may seem like it is only one problem, but in fact this causes several problems for the park and severely strains the park’s ecosystems.

Springdale, Utah, the town just outside the entrance to Zion National Park is a small town, but it has been built up to serve visitors hoping to stay in a hotel just outside of the park. In fact, the main road that runs through the town leads right into the park. Although it may not seem like a big issue, air pollution from the minutes-away town center flows up towards the park and has been proven to impact the wildlife, waterways, plants, and soils within the park. This is one of the many problems associated with increased development in areas just outside of many of the National Parks across the country. 

Photo I took of a bighorn sheep at Zion

Another aspect of increased tourism means that there is increased traffic in the park, both on foot and in cars. The park has taken steps to address the issue of car pollution by providing shuttle buses throughout the park and limiting personal cars to only one road; the other roads can only be accessed via the shuttle buses. Even without car pollution, the hundreds to thousands of people who visit the park everyday undoubtedly want to get out and wander around. Even when staying along the trails, people can interfere with the park’s ecosystems. 

Photo I took driving on the one road open to cars in Zion NP

In class, we have learned about our ecological footprints and how we as humans can severely impact the environment with seemingly simple things that we do everyday. As mentioned, many tourists at Zion National Park prefer to stay in hotels just outside of the park instead of camping in the park. This seems natural to us as humans, but what many people don’t realize is that this “natural” act is not all that natural and can harmfully affect the park’s ecosystems. More specifically, we have learned about land degradation and ecological tipping points. The constant foot traffic on the park's multitude of trails contribute to the park’s land degradation. This can bring about an ecological tipping point if this continues to happen. 

My family and I visited Zion National Park and several other parks in the western US a few summers ago. Having experienced the walls of red rock and the variety of wildlife in the park firsthand, it would be a shame for the park to continually be negatively impacted by tourists. Clearly the park is forward thinking with its implementation of shuttle buses and closing of certain roads. But, in order to preserve the beauty of the park and keep it open to the public, stricter regulations for use of the park should be put into place.

Photo I took of the mountainside at Zion

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***If you're interested, here's a good 360 view of Zion NP along the main road through the park.***

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SOURCES

https://www.nps.gov/articles/airprofiles-zion.htm

https://www.nps.gov/zion/learn/nature/upload/Mammals.pdf

https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/09/12/visitors-threaten-river-in-one-of-southwests-most-popular-parks

https://www.frommers.com/destinations/zion-national-park/a-nature-guide/the-ecosystem
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Platypus Pushed To The Brink Of Extinction

by Frank Navarra

Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200121112922.htm


Picture Link:  https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Faww%2Fcomments%2Fco0fe0%2Fperry_the_platypus%2F&psig=AOvVaw0UXmCXfdRLjeDKepWSzL3x&ust=1585606683393000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCJjH46rbwOgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAF

There was a time in the past 100 years when the Platypus was considered an abundant species throughout the lands of Australia and Tasmania. While not much about the Platypus is general knowledge, the Platypus has been an important animal in its respective ecosystem for as long as it's lived on this Earth. However, in a new study conducted by UNSW Sydney's Centre for Ecosystem Science, the Platypus is seemingly nearing extinction. 

According to scientists, the Platypus' secretive and nocturnal lifestyle has caused humans to neglect their well being as a species over time, and the species is now facing the threat of extinction. The Sydney study was published in the International Scientific Sournal Biological Conservation in early January, and the study looked at the potential combination of threats to platypus populations; which includes lack of water resource development, humans land clearing, climate change and increasingly severe periods of drought. Scientists attribute a large portion of these threats to human interaction and general commercial pollution. With pollution around dams and constant fishing and environmental disruption, the Platypus has been pushed out of its habitat and people need to do a much better job to save them and keep their ecosystem intact. 

The potential extinction of the Platypus relates to Ecology in many ways. Firstly, humans have once again demonstrated their overuse of land and negative impact on animals. Ecology discusses limiting the carbon footprint of humans and aiming to sustain and help conserve ecosystems and not harms them. The scientists believe this can be achieved in order to help the Platypus survive in ways such as "increasing monitoring, tracking trends, mitigating threats, and protecting and improving management of freshwater habitats." Furthermore, when an animal becomes depleted and/or extinct in can disrupt the food chain and the balance of the food chain, and in class we have discussed ways this can negatively affect humans. Whether it results in a lack of resources or wildlife due to the Platypus' extinction, humans will not benefit from the loss of this species and will most likely be negatively affected. Because of this, people need to take a closer look on their horrible contributions to pollution and the eventual climate change, as it is clearly a huge factor in the survival of wildlife. 

Moreover, I personally have never seen or read anything about the Platypus before finding this article. With that being said, I am now very concerned about the well being of the platypus and will be looking more into the situation as time unfolds. No species that contributes to the environment should be nearly extinct because of things that we as humans have practically caused to happen. The Platypus was already considered an endangered species in South Australia and humans should have been doing their best to limit impact on their habitats and to watch them closely. I am especially thankful to read that scientists are now doing their best to save the Platypus species and conserve their habitats. What would the ecosystem in Australia be like without the Platypus? I'm sure a lot would change and it would affect humans in some way. Hopefully, the Platypus makes a recovery as a species. I grew up watching Phineas and Ferb- and Perry the Platypus was my favorite character so I take this situation personally!

How To Reduce Waste To Improve The Environment

Makenna Sheppard 

March 29, 2020

In the United States people throw out items all the time as if it’s no big deal.  Garbage has become a huge problem in not only the U.S., but in many other countries all over the world as well. Garbage is incredibly harmful to our planet and ecosystems, causing wildlife to deteriorate and polluting our foods and water.  

There are many ways to decrease the amount of unwanted garbage in the world.  One way is to reduce food waste in a household because it is one of the top contributors in garbage overflowing the streets.  It starts with what you buy and use at home. People need to learn to not throw everything out after a meal when there is plenty left to eat in the future.  People can also use food waste reduction apps to help guide them step by step with what to make with leftovers. Getting creative with leftovers will help save people money and help reduce waste.  

Another way is to shop only for what you need. Quite often, people will buy in bulk and grab products they don’t need.  This is how a lot of products go to waste. Most of the time people will end up throwing these items out due to never using or needing them.  Carelessly buying things that you think you might need but in reality will never use only hurts you and the earth we live in. shopping only for what you need will save you lots of money that is wasted, just like the product after you throw it away.

One extremely important way to improve throwing out less and using more is to buy local.  Experts say buying local reduces the ecological footprint because buying it from a store requires items to travel all over the world, which increases air pollution and plastic use from the packaging.  Compared to just buying locally, less gas is used, plastic packaging isn’t required, and helps out local businesses.  

The most obvious way is to simply recycle.  This is stressed so much, but is not done enough.  Recycling reuses products to make other products so that there is less garbage harming ecosystems, along with our world in general.  People don’t realize how bad plastic is for the earth. Once it is thrown out it gets into oceans, roads, air, foods, and water. And that’s just a few of the things it ruins.  Animals die all the time from plastic because they don’t know better and eat it or get stuck in it. Plastic also gets into our bodies from being in the air, food, water, and even packaging.  Recycling could help our world so much if the simple act was done more.

These are just a few ways to reduce the garbage in our world.  If garbage takes over, there will be less food, water, animals, plants, and space to live.  If we don’t do anything about the problem now we may not have a world much longer to live in like we do now. 

In this picture a man is trying to swim, but is unfortunately surrounded by garbage.  This is what the entire environment could look like if this issue isn’t taken seriously. 

Citations: 

https://www.moppenheim.tv/experts-list-ideas-to-reduce-waste-and-impact-on-the-environment/

Bp_garbage_110618_94.jpg

Plantago Lanceolate Is A Rule Breaking Species

Plantago Lanceolate: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Ribwort_600.jpg

Article: University of Queensland. "'Rule breaking' plants may be climate change survivors." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 February 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200210091157.htm>.

A recent study done by Dr. Annabel Smith, from University of Queensland's School of Agriculture, and Professor Yvonne Buckley, from UQ's School of Biological Sciences, looked into the humble plantain. The humble plantain, otherwise known as the plantago lanceolate, is a highly successfully distributed species of plant. It is native to Europe, but has spread globally even in many different climates. 
When studying this species, the research team found that it simply does not follow the rules of ecology. One of the specific rules they mentioned was that "genetic diversity or variation in genes embedded in DNA are produced by changes in population size." It describes that small populations have little genetic diversity, and large populations have more genetic diversity. With this species though they found that the genetic diversity depended on the climate it was found in, and not the size of the population of the species. They also found that in new environments this species was thriving much more than any other species was. The study concluded that this was due to the species' spread around the world, and so it knew how to adapt. This species was found to have a very high genetic diversity and a very high level of adaptability.

This article relates to class because we are studying ecology, or the study of how organisms interact with one another and their environments. This species is "rule breaking" in these ecologist's study. It is interesting to read about and learn alongside this course because it shows that not everything will follow the rules or theories ecologist's have made just like any other science. The ecologists discussed that this study is important to help us understand how invasive species could be affected and possibly could apply to climate change, so in general it is a really important study.

I enjoyed reading this article because, as I said before, it shows that not everything is black and white. These theories that ecologists have come up with have taken years of studying and researching, but they still don't always apply. The world is so diverse and species are all so different that it is incredible to even understand a fraction of it. This article was very well developed, and the study is really important to help us better understand the world we live in, and how different factors can change even the smallest things. 

As Oceans Warm Fisheries Decline

By: McKenna Donegan

March 29th 2020

A recent study published by the journal Science found that the amount of seafood humans could sustainably harvest from a wide range of species shrank by 4.1 percent from 1930 to 2010, a result of climate change. This might not seem like a lot, but the lead author of the study suggests it is. According to Dr. Chris Free a 4 percent decline is 1.4 million metric tons of fish from 1930 to 2010. The warming of the ocean due to climate change is already having a serious impact on the seafood industry.

Dr. Free notes that fish provide a vital source of protein for over half of the global population, and roughly 56 million people worldwide are supported by marine fisheries. In East Asia the ecosystems have been hit particularly hard, because this area is home to some of the largest growing populations that are highly dependent on seafood. The oceans have absorbed roughly 93 percent of the heat that is trapped by greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere. Disastrously, this increase in water temperature has forced fish to move where they live in search of more preferable climates. This affects not only fish but the sources of food they rely on.

In half of the regions studied fish populations did not fare well. For example, the northeast Atlantic Ocean saw a 34% decline in sustainable catches. There were other important trends found in the data. Warm areas turned out even worse when they were overfished. The researches suggest that this is because overfishing meant that fish populations were even more vulnerable to warming temperatures because it harmed their ability to reproduce. Furthermore, fish in colder regions did better than those in warmer water, because the extra heat was just too much. This study highlights that climate change is adversely affecting fisheries, and something needs to be done to account for the loss in productivity.

This topic is related to our class because warming oceans are negatively affecting the earth’s ecosystems. As oceans warm, fish die or are forced to move out of the area, which affects the rest of the food chain. Additionally, this emphasizes environmental sustainability. We need to be able to meet the current human need for fish, but we also cannot compromise the needs of future generations by consuming too much. In order to address this problem I think we need to implement the changes that Dr. Free suggests at the end of the article. Reducing catch limits in warmer years and increasing catch limits in cooler years would balance out productivity. Not overfishing and regulating fisheries will have a positive impact, but unless we all do our part to slow the effects of climate change this problem will persist.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/climate/fish-climate-change.html - Article

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/west-coast-fisheries-comeback-century - Image

Air Pollution Within the United States

Grace Armstrong
3/29/20
     Air pollution is a pretty clear term, it is when pollutants from things such as factories worsen the air quality in communities. Air pollution is often an overlooked issue in the United States because we are not to the point where enough people are dying of poor quality that the government feels that they need to address it. The map below shows the air pollution in the U.S back in 2014, there it is air that there is an air quality problem in about 1/4 of the country. Those numbers of air pollution have only risen, since 2016 pollutants have risen 5.5% (Washington Post). Air pollution can lead to things such as dementia, cognitive decline, respiratory problems and even death. In 2018 nearly 10,000 deaths in the U.S were linked to the bad air quality (Washington Post). It should also be noted that those suffering from this bad air quality is often the lower class as well as minorities. This relates to our course because we often talk about how the environment is slowly getting worse and is becoming less and less habitable. This is just another example of how we are killing our planet by having so much pollution that the natural cycles are earth cannot turn our air fresh and clean anymore. This also relates to how we discussed the tipping point in an environment or ecosystem, that relates to the air quality/pollution issue as well because we are on our way to a point where air pollution will affect the air quality too much that we cannot come back from it, making our air no longer safe. My viewpoint on this issue is that air pollution should be paid attention to a lot more our government and they should put regulations in place in order to keep the air quality healthy for citizens. Things are just getting worse and we should not get to a place beyond where we can return from.

This photo demonstrates how air pollution is rising across the U.S

Citation: 

Ingraham, Christopher. “Air Pollution Is Getting Worse, and Data Show More People Are Dying.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Oct. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/10/23/air-pollution-is-getting-worse-data-show-more-people-are-dying/.

Alyssa Sullivan

3.29.20

Rainforest Deforestation

     To start, deforestation is the clearing, destroying, or otherwise removal of trees through deliberate, natural or accidental means. It can occur in any area densely populated by trees and other plant life, but the majority of it is happening in the Amazon Rainforest. The loss of trees and vegetation can cause climate change, fewer crops to grow, flooding, and worst of all, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The increase of greenhouse gases can cause a multitude of issues for humanity and the environment in which we're living. Deforestation is caused by many things, but the main being so the land can be used for cattle feed and farming. This has been an issue for thousands of years, and continues to grow each year. Decrease in rainforest also means a decrease in habitats for animals, insects and amphibians that inhabit there. "Seventy percent of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes.” (Pachamama). Trees also help to control the amount of water in the atmosphere by aiding in maintaining earth's water cycle. Since deforestation is causing fewer trees to exist, less water is available in the air, this causes dryer soil because less water is able to be returned to it. Dryer soil, naturally is going to lead to a decrease in crops being able to grow. 

“Effects of Deforestation: The Pachamama Alliance.” Pachamama Alliance, www.pachamama.org/effects-of-deforestation.

Renewable Energy Plants are Jeopardizing Biodiversity

(Image 1) Photo Credit: McGrath, M. "Climate Change: Green Energy Plant Threat to Wilderness Areas." (2020) BBC, https://www.bbc.com/new/science-environment-520223881 By Priscilla Capuano

The need for renewable energy sources is an issue that has received considerable attention in the past few decades. It is crucial that every nation puts considerable resources into making the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy in order to promote the overall health of the environment. As a result, many nations have made significant strides to promote renewable energy. However, these clean energy plants are threatening wilderness ecosystems that are home to a variety of species (McGrath). These species depend on their surrounding environment for food and shelter. Renewable energy plants have pushed native species out of their habitats (McGrath). Large areas of land must be cleared in order to build new energy plants (See image 1 and 2). In fact, it has been reported that 2,200 clean energy plants are located in Earth’s wilderness (McGrath). Alarmingly, areas containing biodiversity have been taken over by 900 of renewable energy plants (McGrath). The presence of these plants have also created the need for an increase in roads, houses, and infrastructure to be built in order to accommodate plant workers (McGrath). There are a few factors that have contributed to this crisis. First, clean energy plants require ten times more land than energy produced by fossil fuels (McGrath). Second, there has been a dramatic increase in green energy plants (McGrath). Third, human lifestyles have contributed to an increase in energy consumption (McGrath). Jose Rehbein is an Environmental Science author who has cultivated an interest in this topic (University of Queensland). He stated that "These Developments are not compatible with biodiversity conservation efforts" (University of Queensland). Additionally, the potential spread of these plants has raised concern (McGrath). It is projected that there will be a 42% increase in construction of green energy plants within the next eight years (McGrath). Such energy sources will likely be built in wildlife conservation sights (McGrath).

This topic connects to class because it relates to the impacts humans have on the environment, the need for biodiversity, and energy sources. First, this issue covers human impacts on the environment because humans’ over consumption of energy and attempts to reduce fossil fuels have led to putting species at risk. Second, there has been a lack of care when preserving biodiversity and respecting the habitats that creatures rely on to survive. The importance of protecting species’ habitats and the need for biodiversity on Earth was a topic covered in class. Third, in class the need to move from fossil fuel based energy to clean energy was discussed. At the same time, people must weigh the benefits and downsides of clean energy. 

In my view, there are a few things that must be done to alleviate this issue. First, humans cannot merely rely on moving from one energy source to another without taking steps to reduce energy consumption altogether. While humans will likely always need artificial energy sources to some degree, it is necessary to evaluate what can be reasonably reduced. Second, humans must make greater efforts to preserve and protect ecosystems. As was discussed in class, the health of species and ecosystems play a role in the wellbeing of the Earth as a whole. Clean energy projects that put them in danger are counterproductive and should be reassessed.

(Image 2) Photo Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org.wiki/Wind_farm

Works Cited

McGrath, M. "Climate Change: Green Energy Plant Threat to Wilderness Areas." (2020) BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news'/science-environment-52023881.

University of Queensland. (2020) "Renewable Energy Developments Threaten Biodiverse Areas." Phy.org, https"//phys.org/news.2020-03-renewable-energy-threaten-biodiverse-areas.html.

Plastic Pollution By Kristen Leavitt

       

Plastic has been a very big part of people daily lives, but have they ever taken the 

time to see what it is doing to our environment? Plastic pollution in oceans has become a global crisis. The problem is that the amount of plastic being dumped into the ocean has been on the constant increase each year. With all this plastic in the ocean it has become a threat to animals in the oceans. Not only is there micro plastic pollution, but there has been seen to be an increase in macro plastic pollution like whole plastic bags. Macro plastic pollution was always on the incline, but has been drastically increasing since 1990.  It has become such a large problem that there are more and more sharks and other animals washing up onto the shore with plastic filled bellies. Not only is plastic pollution a problem for the animals but it is a problem for us as well. Micro plastic is being found in a lot of our food and drinks that we are consuming. Just like plastic isn't good for the environment plastic is also not good for us.People use plastic in their day to day lives which means that the production of plastic is increasing. Over the past four decades the production of plastic has quadrupled. 

Plastic pollution relates to our class in a number of ways. The first way being that 

the ecological footprint. All this plastic being produced and used once has a very negative impact on the earths ecological footprint. Due to all this plastic being produced and polluted we are starting to reach the tipping point. If the amount of plastic in the oceans continues to increase we could reach a point where there is more plastic in the oceans than water. The goal is to not reach that tipping point so that we can come back from this. Lastly this relates in the sense of overconsumption of materials. 

In my opinion, plastic is always going to be used. There are some benefits to the 

use of plastic but I feel like we don't need to be using as much plastic as we our in our daily lives. We have become very wasteful with plastic. Yes, we are starting to see a change with paper straws and reusable bags in stores now. This change though takes everybody. Everybody needs to start making the simple changes in their own lives, for example instead of using a plastic water bottle buy a reusable water bottle. Also finding uses for the plastic that you once thought was trash. If everybody starts to make the little changes then it will be easier to move forward in making larger changes in steps toward decreasing the production and pollution of plastics 

Sources:

Info

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/16/health/ocean-plastic-study-scn/index.html

Image

https://www.insidesources.com/point-want-less-ocean-plastic-pollution-make-less-plastic/

Covid-19 and the Environment

The most recent global crisis that has taken the world by storm has undoubtedly been the spread of the Coronavirus or Covid-19. The spread of Covid-19 has caused the lockdown of hundreds of millions of people globally. While this catastrophe has been going on there seems to be a benefit from this global shutdown. China is the world's leader in carbon emissions and experts have estimated a drop of about 25% in this month alone. The cease of production has lessened the usage of oil and other fossil fuels. On top of less global production, the use of transportation has also decreased heavily. The decline of transportation in major US cities like New York and San Francisco have led to decreased carbon emissions in these cities. The decline in transportation leads to people spending more time in their homes which will undoubtedly raise energy consumption within the home. But this energy usage is less than that of shipping and producing goods around the world.

This relates to our Ecology class because it shows how developed countries are contributing large amounts of CO2 emissions by means of transportation and production. Also, it proves that flying along with traveling by vehicle affects our ecological footprint. The impact of constant jam-packed traffic in major cities plays contributes an unsustainable amount of CO2 emissions that the world is unable to handle. As a whole, this global pandemic has proven a couple of things. One is that if it was a disease that far more deadly our world is nowhere near prepared for that. Lastly that ecological footprint in economically thriving nations is heavily based upon production and transportation.

My take on this is as follows. The impact of the spread of Covid-19 has opened the eyes of many in proving that we need to change the way we globally produce and ship goods around the world. This change obviously won't happen overnight or even within the next several years. This is an issue that will require baby steps so that businesses aren't overwhelmed with the change. It is unfortunate that it took a global pandemic to figure this out but now that we know we have no excuse to not act on this.


This image shows the empty streets of New York City
 during the lockdown. Most businesses closed 
leaving the streets barren. 




Image
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/03/22/nyregion/21nyvirus-mood-print/21nyvirus-mood4-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp

Source
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-coronavirus-pandemic-is-affecting-co2-emissions/

The Impact of Overfishing -Robert Lunder

Overfishing has become a global concern as for years many fisheries are catching copious amounts of fish that can't repopulate fast enough before they are caught again. This action causes many types of desired fish by humans, as well as other fish, to become endangered or even extinct. The reason for this is that millions of people all over the globe depend on the ocean for their staple food an income. Fisheries want to maximize the amount of fish they can catch by using large pieces of equipment and fish find trackers. Fisheries have the ability to use huge drift nets that can catch hundreds if not thousands of fish at one time. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization describes that over 70 percent of the world’s fisheries are exploited thus, a result of overfishing. The major impact of overfishing has resulted in jeopardizing the ecosystem. Overfishing can cause havoc and destroy the environment completely disrupt the food chain. For example, herring is a prey species for cod. When herring is overfished the cod population suffers too. Overfishing doesn’t just lead to the extinction of one fish, it disrupts the entire food chain. Overfishing can be connected to this course because we learn about sustainability and how using up vital resources too quickly doesn’t give the next generation those same resources. We need to preserve what we have and inforce moderation when it comes to industries like fisheries. At the rate we are going we can completely wipe out many of the oceans fish species thus, causing the food chain to be altered. What I would do is create and enforce laws that constrict the amount of fish you are allowed to capture on each trip by weight. If you are over the weight limit you can be severely fined as you are again jeopardizing the species as well as the environment. Hopefully fisheries can see they are harming the environment and will have careful consideration before it’s too late.

http://marinesciencetoday.com/2014/04/09/impact-of-overfishing-on-human-lives/