Europe Pledges Billions in Climate Funding

Quarter 2

Article 6

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/science/earth/12climate.html

NY times

Miller Chapter

The area covered is global.

European leaders agreed to pay $10.5 billion over the next three years to help poor countries begin tackling the effects of global warming and to improve the odds of reaching an international climate accord next week at a conference in Copenhagen. The UN issued a 6 page informal outline of a new climate agreement. The outline calls for wealthy nations to commit themselves to sharp reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions in the next decade, and for all nations to seek jointly to nearly eliminate the emissions by 2050. he world’s industrialized countries and emerging economic powers have pledged over the past year to work to limit warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius above where temperatures stood in the 1800s. That translates roughly into a rise of no more than 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit from today’s average global temperature of about 59 degrees.

I'm glad that countries are banding together to make a commitment to stopping global warming and making efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Vocabulary-

greenhouse gases- the heating of the surface of a planet or moon due to the presence of an atmosphere containing gases that absorb and emit infrared radiation.

Thirsty Plant Dries Out Yemen

Thirsty Plant Dries Out Yemen
Quarter 1
Article 8
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/world/middleeast/01yemen.html?_r=1
NY times
Miller chapter
The area covered is global.

Across Yemen, the underground water sources are running out, a crisis that could prove deadlier than the resurgence of Al Qaeda here. At the root of the water crisis is the quadrupling of the population in the last 50 years. Even as drought kills off Yemen's crops, farmers in villages like this one are turning increasingly to a thirsty plant called qat, the leaves of which are chewed every day by most Yemeni men (and some women) for their mild narcotic effect. The farmers have little choice: qat is the only way to make a profit. Even as drought kills off Yemen's crops, farmers in villages like this one are turning increasingly to a thirsty plant called qat, the leaves of which are chewed every day by most Yemeni men (and some women) for their mild narcotic effect. The farmers have little choice: qat is the only way to make a profit.

I think that this is devastating. Our society takes water for granted. We use gallons of it daily. In Yemen, there is barely enough water to survive.

L.I. Harvests May Signal a Comeback for Scallops

L.I. Harvests May Signal a Comeback for Scallops

Quarter 1

Article 7

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/science/earth/12scallops.html?ref=science

NY Times

Miller Chapter

The area covered is local.

Since 1985, multiple surges in toxic marine algea known as brown tide have decimated Peconic Bay's scallop production, resulting in years of devastating economic harvests. But, last year the baymen realized that scallops are making a comeback. The yield tripled from 2007 to 2008 and this year it is projected to stay the same or increase. Many efforts have been made to restore the scallop population. Part of their strategy is to increase the rate of spawning and fertilization. They have also released hundreds of thousands of baby scallops in the bay since 2005. In the late 1990s, nitrogen levels dropped and brown tide faded away, but scientists are not sure why nitrogen levels decreased. Fisherman are happy to enjoy a brown tide free scallop season.

I think it's great that the scallop populatrion is making a come back. Doing these articles, the majority of knowledge that I have accumulated on the environment has been that it is getting worse. It is reassuring to know that atleast a small aspect of the environment is improving.

Vocabulary-

brown tide: part of growing world-wide incidences of harmful
algal blooms (HAB) which are caused by a proliferation of singlecelled
marine plants called phytoplankton

More Record Highs and Far Fewer Lows

More Record Highs and Far Fewer Lows

Quarter 1

Article 6

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/warming-trend-seen-in-temperature-records/?ref=science

NY times

Miller Chapter

The area covered is national.

Scientists in the United States have found more evidence of long term global warming. The biggest climatic change is the shift to decreasing low nightime temperatures. According to a news release from the National Center for Atmospheric Research: If nations continue to increase their emissions of greenhouse gases in a “business-as-usual” scenario, the U.S. ratio of daily record high to record low temperatures would increase to about 20 to 1 by midcentury and 50 to 1 by 2100. The midcentury ratio could be much higher if emissions rose at an even greater pace, or it could be about 8 to 1 if emissions were reduced significantly, the model showed.

My opinion is that the United States needs to decrease it's emission of greenhouse gases. Many people do not realize the harm that a change in a few degrees can have on the environment. Temperature change is responsible for the destruction of coral reefs and the melting of the polar ice caps. Global warming has a profound impact on the decrease of biodiversity of the world. Although, this article was written on a national scale, it impacts international aspects. Each nation needs to rise up and do what they can to stop the emissions of greenhouse gases or the biodiversity on life is going to continue to be destructed dramatically.

Vocabulary-

greenhouse gases: any of the gases whose absorption of solar radiation is responsible for the greenhouse effect, including carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and the fluorocarbons.

A Plan to Drill Roan Plateau Meets Resistance

A Plan to Drill Roan Plateau Meets Resistance

Quarter 1 Article 4

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/business/energy-environment/30roan.html?_r=1

NY times

Miller chapter

The area covered is national.

Energy companies want to tap the rich natural gas resources under Colorado's Roan Plateau, but a coalition of sportsmen and environmentalists want it preserved for wildlife and recreation. Sporting and environmental groups are suing the government in federal court, demanding that the leases be thrown out, and a preliminary ruling is expected this fall. However, they are going against a powerful economic incentive to develop new supplies of oil and gas. Expanded gas outputs also offers a plethora of envirnomental benefits. Burning natural gas emits less carbon dioxide than burning other fossil fuels, and many experts argue that substitution of gas for dirtier fuels should be a major strategy to reduce the nation’s contribution to global warming.

My opinion is that taping rich natural gas resources is better than mining oil for energy. However, if it is at the cost of eliminating a natural landscape that is valued by many people, then it should be reconsidered. I think that the energy company should be stopped from taping the Roan Plateau and try to find another area, that perhaps is not as important to the people.

Vocabulary-

plateau- a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons.

Food, Humanity, Habitat and How We Get to 2050

Food, Humanity, Habitat and How We Get to 2050

Quarter 1

Article 5

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/opinion/28wed3.html

NY times

Miller Chapter

In 2050 the population of the world is projected to rise to 9.1 billion. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, it will require a 70 percent increase in global food production, partly because of population growth but also because of rising incomes. How can this be accomplished? It may be possible by increasing productivity on current agricultural acreage and by greening parts of the world that aren’t now arable. However, this will be difficult to accomplish while preserving biodiversity. Preserving biodiversity is another one of th UN's goals. This all can be accomplished through a new idea of food equity, a fairer and far more balanced way of sharing and distributing food to reduce the devastating imbalance between the gluttony of some nations and the famine of others. It will mean that we all have to do what we can — wherever we live — to localize and intensify food production. Above all, it will mean restraint, in order to protect, and perhaps one day increase, the remaining biodiversity.

I think that this goal can be accomplished. However, each person needs to want to make it happen. That goal above all will be most difficult. The United States contributes mass amounts waste and uses much more than it needs, while developing countries do not have nearly enough to survive. This may be possible if each nation passes laws to balance food distribution in the future. But, I see this as highly unlikely considering the greed of the United States and nations like it.

Vocabulary:

population growth: increase in the number of people who inhabit a territory or state

Film on the Dolphin Hunt Stirs Outrage in Japan

Film on the Dolphin Hunt Stirs Outrage in Japan

Quarter 1 

Article 3

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/world/asia/23dolphin.html

NY Times

Miller Chapter

The area covered is global.

For years, dolphin hunts off the seaside town of Taiji, which turn coastal waters red with blood each winter, have drawn the ire of Western activists. But few among the Japanese public seemed to care, or even know, about the slaughter. However, Japanese moviegoers watched an American documentary last week that reveals Taji's annual dolphin hunts. Japanese citizens were shocked and outraged. Japan killed about 13,000 dolphins in coastal waters in 2007, according to the fisheries agency, of which about 1,750 were captured in Taiji. Taiji’s fishermen are notorious drive hunters, banging on metal poles to herd panicked dolphins into a cove, then spearing them to death in what protesters describe as a gory bloodbath.

I am glad that American documentarists got involved to reveal to the Japanese public the horrors of what is going on. I'm surprised that they didn't know sooner. Now that the secret is out, the Japanese government should get involved to regulate fishing and control what is going on. 

Vocabulary- 

mercury - mercury can be toxic and lethal in high levels. Laboratory tests have shown high levels of mercury in the flesh of dolphins and pilot whales that were caught and sold in Taiji, prompting some local markets to remove them from their shelves.

Samoa Tsunamis Obliterate Some Coral, Spare Others

Quarter 1

Article 1

Samoa Tsunamis Obliterate Some Coral, Spare Others

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/17/us/AP-US-Tsunami-Coral-Damage.html?scp=4&sq=coral%20reefs&st=cse

New York Times

Miller Chapter 6- Aquatic Biodiversity

The area covered is global. 

The article discusses damage done to the coral reef in Samoa. There was a tsunami that struck the reef on September 19, 2009. In some areas, the coral was damaged so severely that scientists say it will never return. The tsunami also caused debris to blow into the reefs, polluting the water. The coral was home or fish, sea slugs, shrimp, sea worms and many other marine species that find food and take shelter among the reefs. The Tsunami was generated by an 8.3 scaled earthquake that killed 32 people. However, it is also noted that the reefs were in great danger even before the tsunami hit. Years of pollution and sediment in the area's runoff had led to poor water quality offshore, deprived corals of the sunlight they needed to grow and smothered the reef. 

My position on this article is it is inevitable that natural disasters will damage coral reefs. However, it is important that the human race does what it can to help protect coral reefs  and their biodiversity because they are an important part of the ecosystem. We should never have let pollution and runoff effect the water to begin with and we have to do what we can to clean up after natural disasters like the September 19th tsunami.

Vocabulary:

Tsunami- series of large waves generated when part of the ocean floor suddenly rises or drops, usually because of an earthquake. 

Runoff- freshwater from precipitation and melting ice that flows on the earth's surface and into nearby streams, lakes, and wetlands

Coral Reef- Formation produced by massive colonies containing billions of tiny coral animals, called polyps, that secrete a stony substance (calcium carbonate) around themselves for protection. When the corals die, their empty outer skeletons form layers and cause the reef to grow. Coral reefs are found in the coastal zones of warm tropical and subtropical oceans. 

Cleaning the Air at the Expense of Waterways

Quarter 1

Article 2

Cleaning the Air at the Expense of Waterways 

New York Times

Miller Chapter

The area covered is national. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/us/13water.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1258024026-cZtQM5F//LzsMmawvQz6TA

A growing number of coal-burning power plants around the nation have moved to reduce their air emissions, many of them are creating another problem: water pollution. People complained and said that the coal-burning power plants caused acid rain. So three years ago, when Allegheny Energy decided to install scrubbers to clean the plant’s air emissions, environmentalists were overjoyed. The technology would spray water andchemicals through the plant’s chimneys, trapping more than 150,000 tons of pollutants each year before they escaped into the sky. But the cleaner air has come at a cost. The company has dumped tens of thousands of gallons of wastewater containing chemicals from the scrubbing process into the Monongahela River, which provides drinking water to 350,000 people and flows into Pittsburgh, 40 miles to the north.

My opinion on this article is that the company was looking for an easy solution and found one. However, the company should be aware of the environmental damage that they are responsible for. The company needs to stop polluting the drinking water. The government should get involved and stop this as soon as possible.

Vocabulary: 

Clean Water Act- The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. The act established the goals of eliminating releases to water of high amounts of toxic substances, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985. The act has also ensured that surface waters would meet standards necessary for human sports and recreation by 1983.