Water Forum & Google Alerts

After reading Water Adapting to a New Normal, I realized how neglected the topic of “water” really was in today’s society.  I learned a lot about how humans are affected by the limited water supply, and what we can do in attempt to help fix our water supply issue.

Not only are humans affected by today’s water, but so is marine life.  I follow “Pollution” on Google Alerts, and the article Government Acts Against Marine Pollution caught my eye.  Currently, there are measures being implemented to address the problem of pollution that is threatening our fish habitat.  The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is working with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to try to prevent and eliminate marine pollution.  According to United Nations Environment Programme’s coordinator for the Global Program of Action, “…up to 90 percent of sewage in developing countries is discharged untreated into rivers, lakes and oceans, posing one of the most serious threats to water resources.”  This problem needs to be taken very seriously by the government and businesses.  It is not fair for our marine life to be harmed by our careless actions. 

The Colorado River & Pollution

Many people take enjoyable things for granted, such as white water rafting.  In order for individuals to continue enjoying white water rafting in the Colorado River, higher action needs to be taken.  Many individuals do not realize how serious the water pollution problems in the Colorado River are becoming.  The pollution problems are due to radioactive material, toxic chemicals, and human waste.  These sources of pollution enter the Colorado River through contaminated groundwater.  Not only does the pollution problems affect white water rafting, it also affects the 25 million people who drink its water as well as the surrounding wildlife and parks. 

VIDEO:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwHbJ50SNFo

McKibben

Thee Bill McKibben

A writer and activist

Wanted to change minds

Focus on future

Act before it is too late

Stop climate change now

Sustainability

I have never used Google Alerts before so it is very new to me.  I didn’t know that it even existed.  Over the past few days, I have been getting alerts on the topics of Air Pollution and Air Quality from the most popular resources on the internet.  Google Alerts makes research and current information on a topic easy to find, especially since I receive the alerts via email.  Another new thing to me was the idea of following an account on Twitter that is all about environmental issues.  I didn’t know that there were these types of Twitter accounts, and I think that it is a pretty interesting way to stay updated with environmental issues.

Sustainability is used to make sure that we continue to have the resources and materials to protect our health and environment.  Air pollution is the sustainability issue that I brought up in my last blog post.  There are many concerns about the environment due to rapid population growth, economic growth, and consumption of our natural resources.  If the air pollution issue isn’t taken care of, then our environment may eventually die out.  Sustainability is important because it is crucial that this does not happen.  The EPA is trying to make sustainability the next level of environmental protection.  They plan on doing this by using the advances in science and technology to protect the environment as well as human health.

Environmental Issue

The Environmental Protection Agency needs to do a better job at enforcing their regulations on greenhouse gases and other environmental issues.  The EPA’s regulations could be very beneficial if they were more greatly enforced.

EPA needs to continue to promote even cleaner technology as well as promote voluntary programs to reduce vehicle, engine, and equipment activity.  The EPA can promote alternative forms of transportation such as buses, trains, bicycles, and carpooling.

Vehicles and engines need to be better designed to improve transit options.  The programs to reduce mobile source pollution need to also address the fuels used by vehicles, engines, and equipment as well as the people who operate them.

If our reliance on mobile sources continues to grow without any further action, the mobile source pollution will eventually start to increase again.  The EPA needs to limit or restrict the use of mobile sources since they are the largest contributor to air toxics. These air toxics are pollutants that are suspected to cause cancer or other serious health and environmental effects. The global climate keeps changing due to greenhouse gases that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere.  If the air continues to be polluted and if the climate keeps changing, our environment may eventually die out.

The EPA, combined with the manufacturers of vehicles, engines, and fuel, along with state and local governments, transportation planners, and citizens, need to all work together.  We need to make sure that we are improving our air quality and ensuring a future for our planet.

SOURCE

Nash

In Roderick Nash’s “Island Civilization: A vision for human occupancy of Earth,” he discusses his thoughts and concerns of our precious planet Earth.  Individuals like Roderick Nash are a positive addition to our society and are the ones we should be thanking.   Nash believes in Island Civilization and tries to promote the importance of our actions and what we can do to make sure we are being positive additions to society as well.  It is already difficult enough to try to have our current population realize this, and it just continues to become more difficult as our population continues to grow.

“One way to look at the opportunity and the responsibility we have with regard to the environment is in terms of legacy.”  This statement made me realize that people in today’s society really are responsible for what has yet to occur.  Many individuals tend to spend a lot of time worrying about what is currently happening in the present, and not so much what has happened in the past nor what will happen in the future.  Our current actions greatly affect the future of our planet as well as the individuals in future generations.

I believe we need to “fulfill our evolutionary potential without compromising or eliminating the opportunity of other species doing the same.”  Currently, we need to be realizing that the wilderness and civilization are both equal; one is not more important than this other.  As time has gone on, we have “began to draw mental lines between ourselves and nature.”  In today’s society, it is hard to pair humans with uncontrolled nature.  Humans now live in civilized areas, and instead of hunting and gathering, we now bet our survival on farming.  I do believe that this was the start of our society’s downfall and it has only continued to worsen.

Once the Civil Rights Movement occurred, Humans began realizing what was happening to the environment and began to preserve Earth.  If this had not occurred, I am not sure where we would be today... if we would even be here at all.  I realize that I am blessed to be a part of society today, and I feel that it is important for individuals to read articles such as this, to help them come to a realization that there are changes that need to be made.

I feel that it is our duty as citizens to do all that we can now, to make sure that there is life on Earth in the next millennium.  “We don’t often think in the wider angles that encompass our species as a whole, but now is an excellent time to begin.”  In this statement, Nash is reminding us that it is not too late to make changes.  We do have control over the future condition of our planet as well as the future generations to come.