As a zero-emission energy source of high density, nuclear power is harmless to air quality and does not require big land spaces. Moreover, it produces enormous amounts of energy with minimal waste. However, the use of uranium constitutes a danger to the environment. People working with nuclear power need to follow safety regulations to avoid accidents and health problems. The use of this power source is mostly reflected in national and international policies rather than local legislation. For example, nations define their energy use standards and provide emission and fiscal control. Since accidents and the unwise use of nuclear power negatively influence the net gain, these regulations help reduce the waste of finance. On the international level, it is necessary to allocate nuclear and financial resources equally to avoid the military use of nuclear energy and increase the global clean energy production over the long run.
The multi-level governance may impede the effective use of natural resources. For example, since oceans are controlled by both states and non-governmental organizations, consequent conflicts concerning the use of ocean water can emerge. This problem is closely related to the multi-governance of fisheries, which leads to the unregulated use of fish resources. Forrest markets also exist on the local, regional, and global levels and are associated with complex trade networks. The solutions are connected with the strict policies defining the rights of all parties. For example, it is possible to establish marine protected areas. International organizations, such as Global Fishing Watch, may increase ocean surveillance and raise public awareness about decentralization and globalization problems. Finally, it would be appropriate to provide better state control over the forest and land resources. In this case, the roles and rights of stakeholders would be more definite.
Common pool resources (CPR) are goods or products that are subject to overuse, and therefore, may lead to the conflict of individual and group interests. Negative externalities are another economic term, which means that the consumption or production of a certain product imposes external costs for third parties. The problem of air pollution demonstrates both notions in the sphere of sustainability and ecological policy-making. For example, as a CPR, the air is subject to factory and plant emissions, which threaten the comfort and well-being of the population. Therefore, the major challenge of local and national policymakers is to issue regulations aimed at controlling emissions as negative externalities. For example, using alternative ways of waste treatment may be beneficial for factories and help avoid harm to the environment and peoples health.
Freshwater is essential for the planet, and its shortage may significantly harm the population, wildlife, and the environment. Pollution is one of the most serious challenges and is an important human-factor aspect; other difficulties include climate change and natural disasters. Therefore, effective policies on different levels of governance are required to protect the Earths freshwater resources. Local governments may allocate certain financial resources to protect and restore rivers and lakes. Similar strategies can also be used on the national level: for example, reconnecting lakes became a major ecological policy of China and already proved its effectiveness. On the international level, some countries (for example, Turkey and Israel) actively purchase and transfer freshwater resources. At the same time, for their more effective commercialization, it is necessary to pay special attention to vulnerable regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa.
The major energy challenge facing Americans today is the environmental impacts of the energy sources utilized in the US. Energy impacts on daily lives of Americans as well as the overall economy of the US. It also affects several aspects of the USs foreign relations. The high energy consumption and production from non-energy efficient sources pose great environmental challenges and as such it is important to meet the increasing energy demand in the US in a carbon-constrained environment (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008).
Policy and technological changes
The US should adhere to international agreements and policies which aim at controlling carbon dioxide emissions so as to reduce the increasing energy-related costs in the US. This calls for improving the US Department of Energys polices on carbon capture as well as sequestration. It has to invest on advancing its energy efficient technologies in order to improve the adoption and use of clean coal plants. To achieve significant greenhouse gas emissions, the government has to invest more on innovation and deployment of technologies.
Besides, the government has to review the policies regarding adoption of energy efficient technologies power production from fossil fuels and support public as well as private sector investment in research, technology development, demonstration and implementation. Policies and technological efforts have to be reviewed to fully align them to the US and the international environmental goals. The government has to acknowledge that the US and the international community still require fossil fuels and therefore regulation procedures as well as policies governing new technologies like coal-to-liquids conversion plants have to be reviewed so as to enhance CO2 sequestration and to reduce the costs associated with sequestrating large amounts of CO2.
Policies and technologies should be targeted at reducing environmental impacts from heavy-oil reservoirs as well as oil Shales that are currently being exploited throughout the US. Storage reservoirs must adopt long-term physiochemical changes. The government has to consider developing more effective policies that would protect fragile as well as ecologically sensitive regions where energy exploitation and production as well as carbon storage takes place. This means that carbon management solutions including finding more geological storage sites have to be developed and adopted to achieve a carbon efficient environment (International Risk Governance Council, 2008).
Obstacles to implementation of policies and new technologies
In implementing policies that would enhance adoption of new energy efficient technologies, it would be difficult to deal with environmentalists who believe that fossil fuels pose great risks to the environment and human beings and therefore should be completely abolished (International Risk Governance Council, 2008). Again, those who own energy production companies as well as manufacturing companies not excluding politicians could also oppose the strict policy measures and low-carbon innovations due to the costs involved in achieving green production and emissions. Besides, politicians could argue that by investing on carbon capture and sequestration, the government would be spending large amounts of money on a small range of technologies.
Responses to classmates posts
One reaction was that energy policy and the energy industry has to effectively communicate risks to the public concerning the risks associated with Carbon Capture and Sequestration since fossil fuels will continue to be exploited over the next 50 years so as to achieve public acceptance. Policy regulators and production companies have to be transparent and inform the public immediately they realize that a potential risk is looming.
On the contrary, such efforts could also face negative response from the public as well as environmentalists. A significant population or interest groups are likely to use weaknesses realized during the development of technologies or policy development to campaign against carbon capture and sequestration.
Another proposal was to balance stability with predictability by developing energy policies which are flexible and can adapt to the environmental changes using new scientific information based on technical findings. This means that the regulatory bodies have to provide scientific as well as technical answers to regulatory concerns that address environmental impacts of carbon capture and sequestration. Demonstration therefore has to take place in different geological settings while ensuring harmonized monitoring as well as cross-comparison of technologies.
Licensing of storage sites could pose a great challenge since available lands are used for various economic activities. Environmentalist and critics may argue that the particular geological sites chosen could spread the risks to other surrounding regions and therefore endangering other environmental aspects and components. They may even seek court injunctions.
Reference List
International Risk Governance Council. (2008). Regulation of carbon capture and storage. Web.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (2008). DOE Deputy Secretary outlines new energy challenges facing the US. Web.
The problem of pollution of the environment that has arisen due to human civilization development has attracted more and more public attention. The current ecological situation is a consequence of societys industrialization and capitalization, in which Bill McKibben and Derrick Jensen agree. However, the two authors have different views on who is responsible for the current situation and who should take action to change it.
McKibbens article Waste Not, Want Not, and Jensens Forget Shorter Showers, are devoted to the problem of waste reduction and resource use caused by the consumer society. However, McKibben (2009) focuses mainly on the significance of each individuals personal consumption habits, arguing that wasteful habits wouldnt matter much if there were just a few of us. He provides examples of waste generated by individuals daily, which ultimately sum to huge numbers. On the contrary, Jensen (2009) says that the individual consumption of an ordinary citizen is negligible compared to industrial waste, which needs to be regulated. He argues that all measures are aimed at personal consumption, but had nothing to do with shifting power away from corporations, or stopping the growth economy that is destroying the planet (Jensen, 2009). He provides examples of how small a share of resources are consumed by ordinary people compared to economic structures, and how little waste they generate.
The problem of global warming is undoubtedly the result of the general neglect of waste control. Thus, the two authors agree that the current economic trends impose excessive consumption on people. However, McKibben encourages everyone to be conscious of ecology and to reduce individual consumption and waste, while Jensen focuses on corporations, which divert attention from the problem, shifting the blame onto ordinary citizens.
Natural gas is extracted through the fracking process. To begin with, a desired depth of well is drilled vertically. The angle of drilling is shifted to 90 degrees. Thereafter, the drilling process is continued horizontally up to the point where there are deposits of natural gas (Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, 2014). Second, fissures are created into the dug well using a combination of chemicals, sand and water. The mixture is forced into the dip well at a relatively high pressure. The latter mixture forces the natural gas out from its deposit. In other words, the fissures allow the natural gas to escape. The gas component is trapped on the surface of the well. Thereafter, it is processed and refined and later moved to different locations for marketing purpose. After the process of fracking is complete, water liberated comes back to the surface.
Fracking regions in Canada
The Canadian petroleum industry largely depends on the fracking process as the main method of extracting natural gas from its deposit. Some of the regions where fracking takes place include Alberta, New Brunswick, Neva Scotia, Horn River, Montney, Bakken, and Quebec (Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, 2014).
Economic benefits of fracking
There are several economic benefits of fracking. For example, the process has boosted the supply of both oil and gas. Consequently, employment is directly created in the mining sites. The production and delivery operations of the natural gas demand an increased number of workers (Goodine, 2011). An upward growth in employment opportunities has been witnessed in Canada ever since the fracking process was given priority in the production of oil and gas. The trade balance is also impacted directly by the fracking procedure. In other words, the energy trade balance has significantly been stabilized between Canada and other nations.
There are regions where conventional technologies are not effective. As a result, the fracking process remains as the last option of energy production in such regions. Massive new supplies of oil have been unlocked by the fracking process. The dense shale deposits are used to extract natural gas to the benefit of the local economies. In addition, the energy security has been increased by the fracking process. Moreover, the electricity generation capacity of a country can be improved when fracking is used as an alternative source of oil and gas production (Goodine, 2011).
On the overall, local economies have been boosted by hydraulic fracturing. Some examples include the formation of lucrative oil-based enterprises, improved revenue through taxation to the government, and remission of royalty payments to individuals who own valuable properties.
Health and environmental effects of fracking
In spite of the several benefits associated with hydraulic fracturing, the process poses some serious environmental and health risks. When chemicals are injected deep into the ground in order to force natural gas through the fissures, a lot of danger is posed to the local aquifers. The underground supplies that provide drinking water are also polluted in various ways. Moreover, the immediate environment is negatively affected by large amounts of mud and water emitted from the drilled wells.
It is also vital to mention that the fracking process as a whole consumes a lot of water. The latter challenge is worsened in regions that are arid and semi-arid.
Volatile organic compounds are released through the fissures when natural gas is being extracted. Methane is also another toxic gas liberate in the process. The gaseous emissions are known to cause quite a number of health complications such as respiratory diseases and lung problems. Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes towards the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases have been blamed for global warming and climate change. Methane has been scientifically proven to be more harmful than carbon dioxide. The drilling operations cause a lot of diesel fumes, vibration, and noise pollution within the immediate environment. Fracking has equally been associated with localized earthquakes in some mining regions.
Evidence of community impacts
The Colorado community is one of the Canadian communities adversely affected by fracking in the region. The community has formed a local campaign group known as the Local Control Colorado in order to champion the health and environmental effects of fracking (The Council of Canadians, 2014). Evidence suggests that several personal and community properties have been destroyed by immense vibrations near residential and commercial areas. Worse still, immense noise pollution and respiratory problems have affected the Colorado community. Due to these concerns, the local community in Colorado has presented its grievance to the Legislative Council of Colorado. The group is demanding the current constitution to be amended so that the local community can have a stake in either allowing or preventing hydraulic fracturing in their area. A total of 86,000 signatures will have to be collected by the Local Control Colorado once the grievance is accepted.
Response from the fracking industry representatives
Longmont, Lafayette, and Fort Collins have been sued by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. This follows an earlier vote to prevent fracking by a section of the Colorado community. The state money will also be used to facilitate a judicial process against Longmont. Using money from the public coffers has been authorized by Governor Hickenlooper (The Council of Canadians, 2014).
Summation policy position
After weighing up the evidence for fracking, it is imperative to mention that hydraulic fracturing is indeed a viable energy option for Canada. From the economic benefits discussed above, Canada will continue to boost both its local and national economy by embracing the fracking process of extracting natural gas (Davis & Hoffer, 2012). For example, the hydraulic fracturing process has significantly enhanced energy security in Canada. Employment creation and upward growth in the balance of payment and trade have also been witnessed ever since the fracking process was intensified.
On the other hand, quite a number of local communities have ganged up to protest fracking activities. In spite of the isolated protests from some local communities, the idea behind hydraulic fracturing has not been completely rejected. Local residents are only demanding to have some level of control before such mining sites are set up and also during the period when the mining plants are operational. As much as there are genuine concerns from local communities, the economic benefits of setting up fracking plants outweigh the health and environmental concerns.
From the above summation of pertinent issues surrounding the fracking debate, it can be concluded that the process should be allowed as an alternative source of harnessing energy in Canada (Davis & Hoffer, 2012). The health and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing can be minimized by taking certain precautions before and during the operations of such mining plants. For example, mining sites should not be located near residential areas. When it is inevitable to locate such mining plants away from residential sites, individuals residing in those areas can be relocated and compensated accordingly.
References
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (2014). Shale Gas. Web.
Davis, C., & Hoffer, K. (2012). Federalizing energy? Agenda change and the politics of fracking. Policy Sciences, 45(3), 221-241. Web.
Goodine, C. (2011). Fracking controversy: Rethinking the low-carbon label for natural gas. Web.
There were many fires in the US, but one of them stands out among others. The Great Chicago Fire began on the Sunday evening of October 8, 1971, and lasted until Tuesday morning. It started in the barn of Catherine and Patrick OLeary and quickly spread to neighboring houses. More than 100,000 people had to abandon their homes while escaping from the fire (Murphy, 1995). The reasons that caused the fire to be so fierce were the wooden buildings of Chicago, dry weather, and a mistake in locating the fire.
In the nineteenth century, the houses in Chicago, especially those where poor people lived, were made of wood. Even the houses made of stone mostly had wooden interiors. Roofs were covered with flammable tar, and barns were stuffed with combustible materials. The roads and sidewalks were also made of wood and lifted above the ground to protect them from flooding (Murphy, 1995). As Murphy (1995) pointed out, Chicago in 1871 was a city ready to burn (p. 18). Indeed, almost any building in the city could easily catch fire.
Fires were not rare in Chicago, but none of them was as destructive as the fire of 1871. According to Murphy (1995), the reason for this was extremely dry weather between July and October and a steady southwest wind on October 8. The weather made trees and grass highly flammable, and the wind quickly spread the fire from OLearys barn to other houses in the neighborhood.
Finally, the work of firefighters in those times was not as efficient as it is nowadays. Watchman Shaffer, who was on duty that day, failed to spot the fire at once (Murphy, 1995). When he noticed it, he tried to determine its location from the top of the tower. At first, he made a mistake and notified the fire brigade that was a mile away from the fire (Murphy, 1995). As a result, several firefighters were sent to the wrong place and lost the moment when the fire could have been extinguished.
In conclusion, the Great Chicago Fire was a disaster for the whole city. In part, it occurred because of human error and short-sightedness. If people had been more careful and forward-looking, they could have realized that wooden buildings were a threat to their safety rather than a way of saving costs. It is far better to prevent a catastrophe than to deal with its consequences.
Reference
Murphy, J. (1995). The Great Fire. New York, NY: Scholastic.
The TED Talk under the headline To eliminate waste, we need to rediscover thrift given by Andrew Dent covers the issue of excessive waste and potential solutions to it. Today, as the demand for resources grows significantly, this problem is especially acute. Andrew Dent begins the speech by introducing the concept of thrift effective management of resources available for recycling and reusing. He suggests that this concept can be an economic and effective resolution to the problem of waste.
Before moving on to elaborate on this idea, Andrew Dent emphasizes the severity of the issue. He argues that, since the majority of items that are being used daily can be easily replaced, people are inclined to dispose of them rather quickly. However, it is highlighted that this inclination is not reasonable. Instead of quickly disintegrating, discarded objects are transferred to landfills where they accumulate uncontrollably. According to Dent, it results in approximately 1.3 billion tons worth of waste every year. The point expressed and emphasized is that enormous amounts of refuse can be avoided if people start reusing resources instead of disposing of them.
To support his claims, Dent provides examples of companies that implement a zero-waste policy. A good instance of such policy is the automotive industry where up to 90% of source materials become reused in an organizations new products. Architecture, on the other hand, is an industry that causes a lot of waste because, instead of being dismantled so that source materials can be reused, buildings are usually demolished, leaving nothing to recycle. Thus, to reduce waste, different industries need to change their approach to the utilization of materials, and the minimization of resources can simplify the process of building. For instance, digital manufacturing contributes to reducing waste by essentially limiting the number of required resources used in a project.
Another potentially good solution to the problem of excessive waste is bioderived materials. Introducing this idea, Andrew Dent appeals to the fact that no resources are wasted in nature and everything is used during a certain process. Therefore, Dent suggests taking materials provided in natural objects, such as fiber, which can be isolated and reused in man-made items. This solution can be especially effective, as it requires a renewable resource which reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Essentially, Dents central idea is that infinitely recycling materials is the best option for achieving zero waste.
To conclude the TED Talk, Andrew Dent urges people who have the opportunity to contemplate whether they can give a second life to something they own. He reminds everyone to try to adhere to an approach which would allow using materials repeatedly. Through this, Dent highlights the importance of recycling and reusing as a means of reducing waste once again. Minimizing waste or, ideally, eliminating it altogether, is a way of protecting environment through diminishing pollution and green house emissions.
Kenya sits on 582,644 Km2 at the eastern coast of Africa with the Equator passing almost at its middle. Most of her regions stretch out in the Sudano-Sahelian belt and is a crucial channel of intercontinental maritime contact. The small percentage of moist humid or sub-humid 13% is the most productive region. The rest of the country is largely arid and semi-arid, although it is also used for agro-pastoralism and pastoralism carrying half of the total livestock population. From the 2009 census, her population stands at 37.8 million people with highly productive areas like the rift valley, central and western reporting the highest density. Only 25% of that population lives in urban areas (CBS).
Kenya also benefits economically from Indian Ocean territorial waters as well as the Exclusive Economic zones where it explores, exploits, conserves, and manages marine natural resources. According to the World Bank report for the period between 2005 and 2010, she recorded $2722 (PPP). Kenya suffers frequent cyclic droughts almost every decade, while minor ones occur in 3 to 4 years (UNDP). Climatic variability leads to large and recurrent inconsistency in agricultural production; decreased crop diversity leading to market failures and huge economic losses. She heavily relies on agriculture, tourism, livestock, fishing agro-industries, hydropower and water resources for foreign exchange, subsistence, sectors, and large GDP contribution (GOK, 17). In spite of this, Kenya faces numerous environmental challenges like desertification, pollution, land degradation, and wrath of climate change in form of floods and droughts. This can be illustrated using the graph below.
Table 1: Trends in Environment and Natural Resources GVA
Source of data: UNEP (p.4)
Depletion of wetland areas in Kenya
Wetlands comprise a wide range of ecosystems, for instance water bodies like lakes, coral reefs and oceans as well as their catchments areas. The depletion of wetlands has been due to factors such as; destruction of catchments areas through deforestation and human settlement for instance, the Mau Complex, Aberdares, and Sondu, over fishing, inefficient sewerage system, pollution, and emission of waste and climate change. In the dominant Lake Victoria, increased eutrophication has birthed water hyacinth that threatens aquatic life and affects water levels through blockage (Odada &Olago14). This hinders the supply of clean water to the population causing loss of lives due to water borne diseases.
Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru lie in the more productive Rift Valley region having great economic benefits in terms of fisheries and tourism. Water levels have tremendously gone down in the past five years. In the 2010 drought, Lake Nakuru almost went dry while Elmentaita totally dried up. Similarly, effluents released from the industries killed aquatic life in Lake Naivasha rendering it unattractive for tourism. Since 2011, fish prices have gone up sharply due to scarcity owing to inaccessibility caused by water hyacinth and effluents. There is rampant over fishing and destructive fishing practices given the archaic and inefficient methods of fishing with high poverty levels in Nyanza Region and the East Africa basin sharing it (Odada &Olago, p.14).
A greater problem lies in threatened water catchments especially the Mau forest key in Kenyas water supply and economy in terms of energy (hydroelectricity), tourism, tea, forestry to revenues of over 25 billion shillings. Approximately, 25% of the Mau has been destroyed in the last two decades in spite of its economic importance. 61,586.5 ha of the protected land were excised in 2001. Mara River level has gone down threatening wildlife dependency Serengeti and Maasai Mara ecosystems. Between 1996 and 2001, 27 extra sources of water have totally dried up around the Mau Escarpment and the rift valley (CBS).
Kenya coastline has witnessed sea level rise caused by excessive siltation, infrastructure development as, ports, industries, tourism, and fishing. Where as, most Kenyan lakes are overexploited, LakeTurkana is underutilized despite the high poverty levels in that region. However, the proposed use of the lake for hydro-energy poses a major threat to the lake and peoples livelihood. Mount Kenya has not also seen a lot of ice loss up to 90% over the past 10 decades. The Aberdares have been largely destroyed due to settlements, although the government is trying to reverse the situation (UNDP).
Effects of depletion of wetlands in Kenya
The analysis of environment and natural resource management in developing countries is intricate, given the necessity of environmental exploitation for development due to poverty level and economic position. On the other hand, this destruction could lead to grave economic and social consequences. This can be looked at from the point of economic growth, poverty alleviation, and sustainability.
Depletion of wetlands and economic growth and business
Wetlands are critical in an economy in terms of tourism, food security, water supply, energy, fisheries, and other ecosystem services. However, they have been overexploited thus, diminishing their production capacity. Kenya heavily relies on tourism for foreign exchange. Major attraction sites are shaped by these wetlands for example the Maasai Mara, coral reefs, the coastline, Mount Kenya, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, and Lake Baringo just to mention a few (NEMA). Destruction of these areas could map Kenya as an unsafe destination and less attractiveness.
Excisions of wetlands has negatively affected natural resources and growth investments, such as Lake Nakuru, Mara Reserve, Sondu Miriu Hydropower, Olkaria geothermal plants, small hydro-energy plants (4MW) and Kericho Highlands crucial for tea production. Kenyas tourism is deeply embedded in wildlife and contamination of lakes has threatened the existence of the wildlife (Harding & Devisscher). Contamination of Lake Naivasha witnessed death of hippopotamus, fish and other species while in Lake Nakuru bird watching seized due to death of flamingoes and other bird species.
Destruction of wetlands has crippled agricultural productivity in Rift valley and Mt. Kenya regions. Kenya now faces water scarcity both in the rural and urban areas (NEMA). Government expenditure on clean water health and health care has increased due to water borne diseases (Harding & Devisscher). This has also raised operating costs for water and energy discouraging investments and Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).
Depletion of wetlands and poverty alleviation
Poverty can be a cause of destruction of wetlands and a consequence of the same destruction. A large percentage of Kenyas population is poor comprising of squatters and informal settlements. They resolve to live and carry out subsistence farming along riverbanks causing erosion, silting, and release of chemical fertilizers into the waters. This has left the population without safe drinking water and water borne diseases without access to health care.
Environmental degradation has increased poverty owing to reduced agricultural production and natural resources. Kenya is part of members ratified under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) whose one of the objectives is to address environmental issues and reduce poverty. Activities like over fishing, charcoal burning and harvesting fish before the optimal age are fuelled by poverty, yet they lead to more destructive effects that aggravate poverty levels.
Depletion of wetlands and sustainability
Environmental destruction increases with increase in economic growth. The three triangle objectives are complimentary in the end, but in the short-run there may be trade-offs in view of the immediate standpoint of the individual farmer to gratify the familys basic needs. Environmental degradation is addressed under the social pillar of vision 2030. This sustainability also goes to economics and if tourism is to continue earning foreign exchange and a 10% economic growth starting 2012, there is a need for sustainable environmental policies (UNEP, p.4).
The role of government in addressing destruction of wetland areas
The government of Kenya in different capacities has tried to reverse the situation. Vision 2030 is one of the most evident policies that the government is hoping to use to achieve a clean, safe, and sustainable environment. In the vision, Kenya should increase forest cover by 4% and cut by half environmental-related ailments in 2012 alone.
Formation of National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has also been a great stride in the prevention of environmental destruction. It looks into building regulations especially on wetlands, water pollution, soil pollution, and noise pollution. However, it would be more effective if it were granted independent powers to prosecute violators.
There are also measures to restock fish and other species in some lakes as well as controlling industrial activities in terms of effluents. There have also been clean up efforts in various rivers especially in Nairobi.
Despite these efforts, there is much more to be done, though things are promising to look up in the future. However, the greatest challenge lies not in the policies, but the commitment and political will of government and other stakeholders to ensure the success of the policies. Public awareness, civic education, and sensitization will also be crucial.
Works Cited
Central bureau of statistics (CBS). Ministry of Planning and National Development, Economic Survey. Nairobi: CBS, 2005.Print.
Government of Kenya (GOK). National Integrated Natural Resources Assessment. 2007. Web.
Harding, Brian & Devisscher, Tahia 2009, Review of Economic Impacts of Climate Change in Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi: Ecosystems Chapter, Kenya. Web.
NEMA. Effects of Climate Change and Coping Mechanisms in Kenya. NEMA Report: Kenya. 2009. Print.
Odada, Eric and Olago, Daniel. Mitigation of Environmental Problems in Lake Victoria, East Africa. Causal Chain and Policy Options Analyses 33.1 (2004): 1-2. Print.
United nations environmental programme (UNEP). Status of Environment and Natural Resources Statistics in Kenya. n.d. Web.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Environment, Energy and Climate Change. n.d. Web.
I propose that Humber College implement a ban on all single-use plastic products, such as Styrofoam, straws, bottles, and bags.
Background
Analysts reported that plastic production increases every 20 years by two times, and by 2050, the oceans could contain more artificial material than fish (Atwood & Sandborn, 2018). The situation with plastic management presents a challenging issue for authorities and non-governmental organizations. While moving towards a better tomorrow, Humber College maintains plans to enhance plastics and other substances sustainable usage.
Problem
Most people at Humber College regularly use plastics. Students are served meals in plastic containers in most of the eateries within the campus. These plastics are for one-time use, after which they are disposed, leading to increased plastic waste within the organizations area.
Causes
Most campus students buy and utilize single-use plastic products and then discard them into the garbage bins. These products include straws, water bottles, and packaging bags. Further, many of these disposed substances break down into micro-plastics. Then, these small parts are additionally exported from the contaminated sites to other areas of the college, leading to increased plastic waste within the institution ( Moving Canada toward zero plastic waste: Closed consultation, 2019). Moreover, there is limited or no access to environmentally sound and affordable products instead of plastic materials.
Best Practices
According to Atwood & Sandborn (2018), the ban on single-use plastic products can play a critical role in sustainable waste management. Besides, increased waste diversion from 42% to 70% will enable a reduction in overall plastic waste generated (Humber College, n.d.). The college administration should also increase access to affordable non-plastic products and reduce the usage of plastic-packed goods within the educational organization. Options for reusable or biodegradable packaging and awareness of plastic waste solutions management among students should be spread through educational campaigns.
Evaluation and Rationale
I propose that the college enact regulations that will eliminate single-use plastic items within the school, such as imposing a ban. The college should provide only tap water instead of bottled one for on-campus events ( Moving Canada toward zero plastic waste: Closed consultation, 2019). The authorities of the educational organization should ensure the following:
Conduct a plastic waste audit.
Develop a plastic management plan.
Develop a tracking program for plastic yard waste.
Develop plastics reuse.
Incentivize technologies, such as plastic-eating enzymes.
Make producers pay for the safe disposal of their products ( Moving Canada toward zero plastic waste: Closed consultation, 2019).
Improve the collection and management of plastics to avoid exportation.
Conclusion
There is no ultimate practice to avoid plastic wastes. The college management should reduce access to plastic-packed products and instead increase the supply of environmentally-sound alternatives, such as compostable plastics. Moreover, there should be a ban on critical single-use products, such as the sale of small water bottles that form the central part of plastic use within the college. Thus, different community organizations and institutions should avoid using Styrofoam, plastic cups, bottles, and straws to contribute to sustainability.
The ubiquity of plastic cannot be questioned, and plastic products may be found virtually everywhere. As more people use plastic in their everyday needs, the amount of waste disposed of by them is growing in alarming proportions. When developing an intervention for curbing plastic waste, it is important to realize that recycling alone will not solve the problem. The proposed intervention does not deal with recycling per se, and its effects on reducing plastic waste. Instead, the intervention focuses on behavioral changes which will eventually lead to the reduction of plastic litter left by the people near the water sources.
Most householders are certain that plastic is fully recyclable, and people who are conscious about producing waste spend plenty of time separating plastic waste for further recycling. Surprisingly, according to The Engineer (2010) online magazine only 12 per cent of the so-called municipal plastic solid waste is truly recycled (para. 1). One would be surprised to find that it is plastic that accounts for 60-80 per cent of the marine waste (European Commission, 2011). Another problem posed by plastic is that it is still a relatively new material implying that the problem relating to plastic waste remains understudied (European Commission, 2011). The monitoring of plastic waste has only recently been undertaken, and the hazards caused by plastic wastes are alarming.
Given the adverse effects of plastic wastes on the environment, lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans, in particular, an intervention needs to be developed to help curb and mitigate the scope of the problem. If we look at an intervention attempting to stop a factory from dumping fuel into a nearby river, we will see that the focus shifts to a corporate giant, and it is, in the long run, not our responsibility. With plastic, however, we make our own choices regarding its disposal, and our choices affect the entire environment. With this in mind, the intervention is more likely to succeed, because people are more prone to changing their own behaviors, rather than assuming the responsibility for wastes produced by manufacturing giants.
The intervention relating to plastic management needs to be multi-faceted and address every possible angle of the problem. The intervention presented in this paper deals specifically with changing peoples behaviors towards littering and leaving plastic wastes on the beaches or near rivers.
Firstly, it should be admitted that peoples awareness of plastic waste and its dire consequences is very low. Walking around a local beach, or along the bank of the river, one will notice that 60-80% of all the trash comes from plastic (European Commission, 2011). Plastic waste is strongly associated with merely an unaesthetic and unpleasing look, and very few people are aware of its other hazardous effects.
The first stage of the intervention needs to deal with raising awareness of plastic waste in schools. Waste management and specifically plastic waste disposal needs to be a part of the school curriculum. Children need to learn from school that plastic waste is not only an ugly sight but may cause the death of fish and sea birds as a result of indigestion. Plastic found in seas and oceans degrades into minuscule pieces invisible to the eye (Kalle & Hirmo, 2014). These tiny pieces eventually find their way into the stomachs of sea plankton which later may end up on our dinner plates.
Consuming plastic which is contained in fish is dangerous to the immune system and may cause kidney and liver damage, lead to obesity, and lung dysfunction (Manuel et al., 2015). The intervention at school may start with a simple questionnaire which is designed to find out how much school children know about plastic and its effects on the eco-system. Once the questionnaire is filled out, informational leaflets need to be distributed with key facts and numbers. As children are moved by visual images, the leaflets may illustrate a picture event chain, starting from leaving a plastic bottle on the beach and ending in pieces of that same bottle in the stomach of a bird that mistakenly took the plastic for food and died as a result.
This chain may result in changes in childrens environmental behaviors, and many of them will eventually stop producing plastic waste. It is essential that the intervention targets school children, and does not focus on adults only; environmentally-friendly seeking behaviors need to start from school, thus increasing their effectiveness. As part of a summer break, school children may voluntarily participate in a plastic gathering event in the vicinity of a river or a local beach. By involving themselves in gathering plastic wastes, and seeing a huge pile of plastic waste collected, children are more likely to change their behavior, and stop littering once and for all.
The second stage of the intervention needs to start in colleges and universities and be addressed primarily to students and adults. There is a direct correlation between the level of adult awareness of plastic waste and their behavior (Manuel et al., 2015). An intervention study was conducted in India, a country which generates 5.6 million tons of plastic waste yearly (Manuel et al., 2015). It turned out that 70% of the students lacked knowledge regarding the hazardous effects of plastic waste (Manuel et al., 2015).
With this in mind, it is essential to emphasize the importance of awareness-raising programs in colleges and universities. The materials presented in colleges and universities need to be different and more in-depth as compared to the informational leaflets presented at schools. The effective intervention strategy needs to test adults existing knowledge of plastic waste with the use of a short questionnaire which requires 10 minutes to be filled. The questionnaire is crucial in showing the gaps in adults knowledge. For the intervention strategy to be successful and yield positive results, the interventions arranged in colleges or universities need to take place regularly and become a part of the curriculum.
For the third stage of the intervention, students, adults and all of the interested parties may use social media platforms for their voices to be heard. A short descriptive post on Facebook, or a link leading to the post in Twitter, may result in hundreds and even thousands of people sharing and disseminating it.
Summing up, the proposed intervention will tackle the plastic waste from the three angles. The first one will address children starting from school as environmentally-friendly attitudes need to be cultivated from the early years. The second stage will address students in colleges and universities. The third stage, which will employ various social media platforms, will be instrumental in raising overall awareness of plastic waste hazards.
There is a strong likelihood that the intervention will succeed because it does not require changes in environmental legislation, which is highly unrealistic or, if attempted, may linger on for years. Secondly, the intervention does not require that corporate manufacturing giants make changes to their production procedures. Conversely, the intervention addresses people directly, because they are the ones responsible for producing plastic waste. Thirdly, the intervention starts at the community or home level, and more actions undertaken at the lower levels may result in a better national outcome.
Reference List
European Commission. (2011). Plastic Waste: Ecological and Human Health Impacts. Web.
Kalle, K., & Hirmo, M. (2014). 10 Important Facts About Illegal Trash. Web.
Manuel, J., Varghese, J., Jose, J., Thomas, J. K., Joseph, J., & Shettigar, D. (2015). An educational intervention programme on hazards of plastic waste and its disposal among adults: a rural community based study. Nitte University Journal of Health Science, 5(2), 16-18. Web.
The Engineer. (2010). Plastic waste could be recycled through new pyrolysis process. Web.
Is acid deposition continuing to have harmful effects in New England, specifically at Acadia National Park in Maine even though government regulations for reducing sulfur and nitrogen-containing emissions have been in effect for several decades?
Hypothesis
Nitrous oxide fumes have posed challenges in controlling acid rain as they are hard to control while they are a notable contributor to acid rain. This is attributed to the fact that these gases are emitted by a large number and variety of polluters, and it is not easy to establish who pollutes. These gases also have an increasing source in motor vehicles all over the world which burn fossil fuels.
Procedure
The procedure for the acid deposition investigation involved the use of a database from a station at Acadia National Park.
To access the acid deposition database, the Web site for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. The Data Access tab was then clicked on to reveal an image map titled NPN (National Trends List) Sites.
The results were obtained from the website as follows:
On the map of the research stations, we clicked on the state of Maine; we then clicked on the blue dot for Station 99 to reach Acadia National Park, MacFarland Hill Station, and ensured we were at the MacFarland Hill station. We examined the site photographs shown on the page as they show various types of equipment for collecting and analyzing rainfall.
We clicked on-trend plots to obtain a table with a list of the various items that have been measured annually at the station including several units of measurement.
To create a graph showing pH changes, we selected lab pH from the list. For units, we selected mg/L (milligrams per liter.) and for graph size, we chose small from the pulldown menu. We then clicked on create plot and a graph appeared on the screen. We repeated this procedure for S04, NO3, and Ca (calcium) to obtain all the graphs.
Results/Analysis
pH
It was observed that in 1984, the pH was at about 4.6 mg/L. The ph was then observed to decline fairly steadily up to 1986 before then rising back to about the 1984 level over the next ten years till 1994. In 1998, the pH value increased to a relatively high value with the peak being observed in 2004.
It was generally inferencing that ph levels went up; an indication that acidity has gone down over the years. This was a positive observation of Acadia National Park because it meant less acidity in the soils and water. Aquatic life forms in streams and lakes were in turn less affected as the water was not as acidic as was in 1984. Aluminum leaching was also reduced due to increased ph reducing the toxicity to both plants and animals.
Sulfur
From the sulfur graph, it was observed that sulfur levels rose from the early 1980s but considerably dropped from 1984 until 1996. From 1996 to about 2000, the level went up again only to drop to less than 1mg/L in the 2000s. We, therefore, concluded that the acidity of acid rain had considerably reduced as the sulfur levels dropped. This defiantly had a positive impact on the environment and Acadia national park; acidity in the soils and waters dropped leading to reduced aquatic life health complications.
Nitrogen
The nitrogen oxide graph showed the least difference from the 1980s till now. The levels were observed to have remained fairly constant over the years; constantly going up and down. It was therefore concluded that not much has changed in the nitrogen oxides levels as the levels remain between.055 to about 0.58 mg/L. The government should therefore come up with means and ways of suppressing these levels.
Calcium
Calcium concentration levels were observed to drop sharply between 1984 and 1996. Relative constancy was observed between and 1998 before experiencing another drop to about 0.042 mg/L in 1992. Since 1992, the levels have remained relatively constant. This trend was attributed to the fact that observed calcium concentrations were very low and therefore there was no need for stringent enforcement to keep them low as this had already been achieved.
Discussion/Conclusion
Sulfur dioxide and calcium were observed to drop since 1984. Nitrogen oxides were seen to remain relatively constant while ph increased. All these observations are vital to the regulatory bodies concerning legislation and other regulation. The levels can be used to decide on which elements to have more strict regulation on and in what areas for the benefit of wildlife, forests, and the environment.
As established by the legacy of President Roosevelt, national parks and the general environment should be jealously guarded to ensure that future generations enjoy the beauty and abundance of wildlife and nature. Effort should therefore be put into all areas of environmental and wildlife preservation because indeed acid deposition continues to have harmful effects in New England, specifically at Acadia National Park in Maine although government regulations for reducing sulfur and nitrogen-containing emissions have been in effect for several decades.
