Student Name: Sarah Hawley
Student Number: 7633846
Date: February 17th, 2011
Reading Summaries
Selection 6: The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis
As humans have increased dramatically in numbers, many species and their habitats are been affected. Terracing, irrigation, overgrazing, overhunting and forestry are all examples of how humans have altered the natural environment. Examples of this date back hundreds of years and as such, the origination and cause of ecological change is hard to define. In 1627, overhunting caused the extinction of European aurochs. There are countless other examples that still exist today, and because the human population is so dynamic and growing more rapidly than ever, it’s affects on the environment are increasing. As Western Europe and North American began to flourish four generations ago, a new approach to the natural environment was developed whereby scientific knowledge gave humans the ability to feel dominate over nature. As new technologies were developed, so was the need and hunger for certain elements and resources. These natural amenities were used without a limitation; which brings us to present day and our issues with peak oil. The effects of technology and using fossil fuels were seen as early as 1285 when London experienced smog. These effects continue to progress with population growth, urban sprawl and waste.
Present day technology involves inspiration and collaboration from many regions of the world. The West has dominated in technological developments long before the Scientific and Industrial Revolution. It was as early as 800 A.D. that western civilizations began to apply industrial processes to methods of agriculture and wind power. As mechanization was introduced to agriculture, farms and farming practices began to change significantly. Furthermore, aside from the changes created by technological developments, religion also played a vast part in how humans viewed their place within the natural environment. Christianity encourages the anthropocentric viewpoint that the Earth is here for man’s benefit and to serve his purposes. It was not until almost the nineteenth century that scientific theories and developments were not on the basis of religious beliefs. The ecological issues that the human race faces today may only be solved with a change in values in how we perceive our relationship with the surrounding environment, without the arrogance created by Christian belief.
Selection 4: A Sand County Almanac
A pack of wolves composed of grown pups and their older mother, were playing in an open flat. Much to their surprise, they were not alone. Just a short distance away were a group of hunters eating lunch and upon the sight of wolves, hastily took this opportunity to kill a wolf. They killed everyone wolf there, but just before the mother was about to die, a hunter noticed the light escaping from her eyes. It was something he had never seen or experienced before and it made him realize his place on the mountain that day. There was more to it than killing every creature a hunter could find in the pursuit of power, there was a system in place that was more important than just any one hunter. Everything must work interdependently in order to create a sustainable system, for example, despite the fact that the hunters were eager to diminish the wolf population so that there would be a significant increase in deer numbers, they failed to realize that fewer wolves could mean the vast affects on the ecosystem as a whole. Greater deer populations would increase the amount of vegetation depleted from the land and may create a new predator.
From an ecological viewpoint, an ethic is a restriction set in place to ensure survival whereas philosophically thinking, it is simply the difference between what is socially acceptable and what is not. Each definition however, encourages a system of collaboration. The ability for systems on Earth to function cooperatively becomes increasingly difficult as stresses such as population growth and density are introduced. It also becomes arduous to differentiate between what is ethically acceptable in society and what is not as cultures and values become more diverse. As land becomes increasingly sparse and disrupted by man, there are few implications on how the land must be treated. The implications are merely economical. It would seem, that much like the hunters who killed the wolves without second thought, present society is developing land with a vast disconnect from the very system that makes his existence possible. A land ethic is critical, whereby the land is viewed with a value that far surpasses any monetary worth.
Selection 26: Climate Change 2007- The Physical Science Basis
The composition of the Earth’s atmosphere has changed dramatically since 1750 with regards to levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. The causes for this composition change are largely human induced. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from 280ppm to 379pmm since the Industrial Revolution and in recent years, this amount is growing more rapidly than ever recorded. The main source for carbon dioxide is from the burning of fossil fuels for industrial, residential and transportation purposes. Methane concentrations have increased from 715ppb to 1732 ppb and this is primarily due to agriculture. Nitrous oxide has increased from 270ppb to 319ppb and much like the cause of methane increases; this is due to agricultural practices. These changes in the composition of gases in the atmosphere are creating a warming effect on the Earth’s surface; this is evident with increases in air and ocean temperatures and rising sea levels by 3.1mm per year. Between 1995 and 2006, eleven of those years were ranked as having the warmest global temperatures on record. This has resulted in an increase in water vapour, which is caused by a higher saturation point in warmer air temperatures and consequently long term changes in precipitation patterns have ensued. Areas in North and South America, northern Europe and central Asia have experienced more precipitation, while areas in the tropics and subtropics are experiencing droughts. Warmer temperatures are causing glaciers, permafrost and ice sheets to melt, specifically in Greenland and Antarctica. Furthermore, wind patterns have intensified as well as the occurrence of tropical cyclone activity. Overall, the effects and causes of global climate change are very unlikely the cause of simply natural forces, but rather are caused by the changes in gas concentrations due to the combination of human activities and the depletion of the ozone layer.
Selection 15: More Profit With Less Carbon
This selection purposes that taking actions to protect the environment will reduce the cost of energy services as opposed to an increase of cost. This contradicts the view of many environmentalists and government leaders so claim that taking actions to protect the environment will have huge economic implications. Many businesses however, such as, IBM, British Telecom, Alcan, NorskeCanada and Bayer, have reduced their carbon emissions and increased production simultaneously by using energy more efficiently. There is also a global trend that encourages the use of non-carbon fuels, such as solar and wind power and other methods of acquiring and distributing forms of usable energy. There are many energy efficient products that are associated with more efficient energy as well, and these range from fluorescent lamps (which are significantly less expensive than they were just twenty years ago) to household appliances, home heating systems, and windows that effectively trap heat. Unfortunately, energy efficiency is associated with a negative connotation such as the idea that in becoming an energy efficient company, one must make sacrifices that lead to discomfort or inconvenience. Furthermore, it is arduous to visualize the small differences that using energy efficiently can make because the benefits are not achieved instantly.
Transportation remains to be one of the largest consumers of oil and the cause of over thirty percent of carbon emissions in the United States alone. Despite the vast number of people and businesses that rely on transportation every day, most methods of transport remain very inefficient. In order to create a more efficient vehicle, the overall weight and oil consumption must be reduced. In combination with this and the introduction of carbon-rich oil alternatives, the amount of oil used in the United States could be reduced by fifty percent. The benefits of implementing the use of more efficient energy use, reach far beyond increasing fuel efficiency in vehicles. It would reduce military conflict, pollution, political strains, and the unethical exploitation of countries that are rich in oil.
Selection 16: Reinventing the Energy System
It is arduous for most to imagine a future without the energy systems we rely upon today, such as combustion engines for transportation and electricity for residential and industrial uses. It is so deeply ingrained in present day society that the thought of alternatives to these energy systems are unfathomable and many countries are creating oil developments in hope of a boosted economy. It is possible however, that in the future our main energy sources could shift from dependence on finite oil to highly efficient and renewable resources such as solar and wind power. Most shifts in energy systems are driven by changes in technological, social, economic, resource and environmental limits. The amount of oil left on Earth is at peak or perhaps already past peak, suggesting that as the amount of available oil declines and the demand continues to escalate from developing countries, there will be an imbalance that will force new energy systems into place. The environmental and health implications of burning fossil fuels will occur first and outweigh the effects of economic disruption. New changes towards higher energy efficiency are already taking place, such as the light emitting diode (LED) bulbs, wind turbines, electrochemical window coatings, electronic devices, solar photovoltaic cell for using solar energy, and the fuel cell, which produces water and electricity with basic elements. This could result in a shift of the world’s economic and political centres towards areas that are abundant with renewable energy sources. Furthermore, impoverished regions that lack the economic resources for electricity and clean drinking water may be able to acquire energy services more easily with the implementation of a new energy system. It is believed that societies that focus more on value and the livelihood of their people are in a far better position for development in a sustainable and efficient way.
Selection 28: Food Scarcity- An Environmental Wakeup Call
The effects of environmental degradation have been mainly localized; to areas with overhunting, overfishing, heavy deforestation and soil erosion. Despite this however, the economic effects of environmental destruction will ultimately become a global issue. It is projected that agriculture will be one of the first systems to suffer from economic decline due to environmental issues caused by overgrazing and soil erosion. In addition to these issues, a rapidly growing population adds stress to already limited arable land. Consequently, as food prices become inflated, families will be affected on global scales because they rely on this food system for their basic needs. Water is a finite resource and it is becoming increasingly scarce, despite its growing demand from farmers for irrigation purposes and industrial and residential uses. The competition for water sources is ever rising. Much of the world’s food production is grown on irrigated areas. The demand for food is growing but there is only a finite amount of land suitable to sustain agriculture. So it is pushed into arid regions that require constant inputs of water and energy. In order to find balance between resources used and producing enough energy to sustain a rapidly growing population, there must be limits set in place on population growth and minimizing climate change through reduction on fossil fuel emissions. The only way to prevent food scarcity in the future is to implement these limits in a sustainable way before the environment will no longer support a prospering economy and its people.
Activity
Activity
The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dreamhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3uvzcY2Xug
The activity I chose to do for my blog is a video entitled, The End of Suburbia and it discusses the growth of suburban lifestyles and what impact this is having on environmental degradation and sustainability. In addition to the consequences that urbanization is having on our natural surroundings, the video also discusses how strongly tied present society is to oil and what effect this will ultimately have in a future without this finite resource. The video commences by explaining the appeal of suburban life and the factors that have led to nearly half the population residing in suburbs on the outskirts of cities. The suburbs promised space, affordability, comfort, family life and convenience, far away from the noise, pollution and poor sanitation of city life. It largely began following World War II, when soldiers who fought in the war were promised large, beautiful homes away from city life in return for their efforts during the war. In order to accommodate this, nearly 2.7 million homes and apartments were built and the response was an alteration in the American dream. Originally the dream was that everyone could make it, but it soon become known as, everyone can own a home. Unfortunately, this dream was invested in a highly unsustainable system that was, and continues to be dependent on cheap oil. The consequences of becoming vastly reliant on this finite resource were not obvious right away; in fact streetcars and railways within cities were bought out and replaced with the automobile. This created a mass automobile culture and people living in suburbia relied on vehicles to get from home to work, to school, to the grocery store, or to anywhere they believed was of importance. This luxury could not have existed without inexpensive oil and Americans and Canadians fuel their everyday lifestyles with energy sources and expect an endless supply. The reality however, is that our isolated everyday lifestyles must change growth cannot continue at the same level as it has been in the past. A finite Earth and finite resources are simply unequipped to maintain this mentality, however conservation and emphasize on alternatives to hydrocarbon are an abstract idea to most people.
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| The Suburbs (http://wilkmanshire.wordpress.com/tag/sustainability/, 2005) |
In August of 2003 a blackout occurred in along the Eastern United States and Canada and several major urban areas lost power, such as Toronto, New York City, Pittsburgh and Detroit. A total of fifty million people were affected and the blackout occurred at peak usage, which is the time of day when the greatest amount of power is being consumed by commercial and residential occupants. This should have been a wakeup call in regards to how dependant were urban areas are on natural gas because it is expected that there will be a constant supply, when the opposite is true. It is becoming scarcer and increasingly arduous to generate. Oil depletion is also a vast issue in terms of reaching peak oil, which was originally described by Dr. M. King Hubbard as the maximum global extraction rate. It becomes harder to extract oil after the peak and every barrel of oil will be of lesser quality but more expensive because it requires more energy to extract. Dr. Hubbard predicted that the United States would reach peak oil and start in decline in the early 1970’s, however very few people believed him and in a way this ruined his career.
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| One of the many freeways that provide a transportation route from the suburbs(http://greenheroes.tvo.org/post/3230999, 2010) |
The implications of peak oil and depleting energy sources are an imminent reality. Towards the end of the video, the issues of how people will react to energy shortages are discussed and how this will affect the suburban way of life. It is predicted that there will be an economic depression and a reduced standard of living as people are no longer able to sustain as many luxuries in their lives, such as owning an SUV or living far away from work. There will be a struggle to maintain suburbs simply because it will be too expensive to travel long distances unnecessarily, however this will create conflicts and pressures to exploit more resources to accommodate the present way of life. It will also affect agriculture in the sense that the highly mechanized and industrialized method of farming that is able to produce a surplus of food and transport it thousands of kilometres away, will not be economically viable. A sustainable method of farming will require producing and selling locally, and more labour intensive and organic. Overall, the message that is profoundly conveyed in this video is that the sustainability of our species is threatened by a misallocation and dependence on resources and in order to implement change the environment must be perceived as the only essential component for the “American Dream”, not an SUV and a white picket fence.
Reflection
Reflection
Blog Reflection #1- Where do your environmental ethics lie; anthropocentric, biocentric or ecocentric?
The definition of ecocentric is the idea of preserving the integrity of ecological systems and the connections and functions within these systems. In order to achieve this, any one individual part must be viewed as less important that the functionality of a system in its entirety. In contrast to this, there is the view that encourages a human centered approach to the environment, in that it is utilized to benefit the human race without thought of preservation. This ethic is referred to as anthropocentric. From a personal standpoint, my environmental ethics lie with ecocentric thought, however my actions do not match this. In the society that I have grown up in, the concept of anthropocentric thought has always been dominant. The idea that as human beings, we are in some way entitled to exploit the Earth is rarely objected. More so than anything else, I believe that it is our feeling of superiority which disconnects us from nature and truly being able to appreciate our fragility. We are a minute part of a vast interconnected system of working and living parts. As the human race has developed and multiplied, the functionality of this system has been jeopardized because there is such a vast strain on the Earth of a high demand of finite resources and space. The dangers in this growing disconnect between humans and their environment is that there is a lack of understanding in how linked we are with each part of our ecosystem. This is exemplified in industrialized and mechanized agriculture that relies on high chemical inputs for profit and surplus, at the cost of biodiversity and environmental degradation due to pesticides and monocultures. Anthropocentric activities are also seen with urbanization and the sprawl of cities that has led to ecosystem destruction and fragmentation of wildlife. In addition, cities encourage the use of vehicles because often people live in suburbs that are quite a distance from school, work or pleasure. Consumer demands drive oil mining and resource exploitation to great heights. Commercial fishermen feel as though they must over fish in order to make the greatest profit, but is this beneficial in the long run when the fish populations have been entirely depleted? If people were truly connected to nature and understood the importance of maintaining a balance between extraction and replenishment, there would be no dangers to the environment. It is evident that the vast majority of society lives in an anthropocentric environment, so how can one be ecocentric or even biocentric (the concept that all life has ethical standing, though some parts of nature may have equal or unequal consideration and value) in a mainly anthropocentric society? Creating sustainability will not be at the cost of one individual effort, it requires a mass change to an entire system of beliefs. I firmly believe that a sustainable and environmentally sound future depends upon a transition towards understanding the importance of existing within a system and not possessing the arrogant viewpoint that all is created to benefit humans.
Mark Twain once said that, “naked people have little or no impression on society,” (Twain, 1902, p.1) and I think this is a reflection of how people value material wealth and consumption. This way of life and this desire for increased expansion and continuous growth is unsustainable in a finite planet. Sustainability requires a fundamental change in values and social acceptance. I believe this is key because the issue of peak oil and the pressing danger associated with environmental degradation are not acquiring a sudden change in actions within society largely because it is not socially accepted. Most environmentalists are labelled as conspiracy theorists or “treehuggers”, all of which are derogatory terms that are the opposite of the truth, but they discourage others from partaking in environmental preservation action. Just the other day, I was watching Ellen DeGeneres, which is a talk show, and she gave away ten Chevrolet cars to various families across the country and she transported these cars on a large semi and trailer. The first thing I thought was how inefficient the cars were, how much gas would be wasted transporting the cars to their destinations, and how far society still has to go before vehicles will be viewed in a negative connotation. On a global scale, peak oil has possibly been reached or will be reached shortly and yet we are so dependent on this finite resource that we continue to consume, we continue to waste and we continue to believe that the issues plaguing our future must be solved today. Having an anthropocentric viewpoint will not achieve this. I feel as though, even though I understand the importance of maintaining the interconnected of a diverse system is more important than the wants and desires of humans, it is exceedingly arduous to speak out and make a difference because there is such a resistance to change and an overall lack of awareness. Even those who are aware, as was seen in documentaries such as Fresh, The End of Suburbia and Oil on Ice, the only solutions offered are a change in values and the way we focus our economy. How can these changes be implemented? How can one make a change large enough to preserve ecocentric thought when an entire system of beliefs contradicts it? Perhaps it is the government’s responsibility to implement fuel efficient vehicles or carbon taxes; perhaps it is the responsibility of the education system and the media to create awareness. Perhaps it is time to stop putting the responsibility of creating a change on other people. I really wonder what it will take before changes actually begin to take place and are implemented into peoples’ everyday lives.
Blog Reflection #2- Can parks meet its dual mandate of access and protection? How can this be achieved in Wapusk?
The perservation of biodiversity within natural habitats is vastly significant in protecting the resilsience and survial of many native species and their ecosystems. Parks and natural reserves are the first step in achieving this perservation because it protects the region from urban sprawl and industrial development. The main objective is to limit contact from outside influences, such as humans, pollution and non-native species, or any other disturbances that may contribute to the degradation of the ecosystem as a whole. Evidently, parks are essential in defending diverse areas, however there are issues associated with these protected regions. Many parks that are open to public access are covered with asphalt for roads and bike paths for recreational use and this creates straight lines and man-made boundaries that would never have occurred naturally. This may seem like minimal interaction with the native species of the region; however it poses as barriers to movement because many animals are reluctant to cross major routes of transportation. It is also a threat to animals in the sense that when they do decide to cross, they are at risk of being hit by unaware motorists. The limited space for parks creates fragmentation and isolation of wildlife, as they can no longer have free range of movement in and out of the park boundaries simply because their natural habitat does not exist beyond it. Genetic isolation is also an issue with fragmentation caused by parks because animals are limited in who they can mate with, which poses serious problems for genetic diversity and consequently, the resilience of a species. It also increases the opportunity for interaction between humans and wildlife. Many parks are within close proximity of developed areas and consequently if an animal were to migrate outside of the park, it would likely be removed or killed for public safety, when in actuality they were just in search of food or following natural migration patterns already set in place long before human development. For these reasons, I believe that parks in urban centers and that are open to many human activities, are not capable of meeting dual access and protection because wildlife is confined to such a limited area with increased interaction that threatens biodiversity and survival.
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| Female polar bear and her cub in Wapusk National Park (http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/mb/wapusk/index.aspx, 2010) |
With that being said, parks that do not necessarily promote recreation, but rather research and monitoring are able to meet the dual mandate of access and protection. This is because any interaction between humans and wildlife is minimal and there are few, if any, alternations made to the natural landscape. Scientists and researchers are there to simply observe and understand the ecosystem as it would function without any human influence. Wapusk National Park, located in the Hudson James Lowlands along the Hudson Bay, is covered with permanent permafrost and large numbers of waterfowl, shorebirds, Arctic mammals including the Cape Churchill caribou and the polar bear inhabit this region. It is particularly important because it is a denning area for female polar bears. Subsequently, the preservation of this area is critical to the future of polar bear populations and caribou herds, which native hunters rely on for survival and their way of life. Public access to this park is very limited, so the amount of human interaction that wildlife experiences is far less than in parks used for recreation. Many of the staff who are employed at this park have never actually been through the whole area, due to restrictions for preservation. There are however, research programs set in place to monitor and understand ecological processes that are unique to this ecosystem. This is essential in assessing how the landscape is changing in response to global climate change and human impacts, as well as determining what affect this is having on the species populations, permafrost, water temperatures and variety of infectious diseases. This knowledge is so valuable and yet so rare because of limited funding for research projects, however it is very important only to the scientific community but how this information is communicated to local communities. Wapusk National Park achieves scientific research access to promote ecological understanding, while protecting the biodiversity of the Hudson James Lowlands. In a sense, the knowledge that researchers are able to provide to indigenous communities, as well as large corporate and industrial companies, is a form of environmental protection. Hunters are learning how to kill sustainably and it is becoming increasingly arduous for companies to exploit the land without a plan of preservation for the future in place. If Wapusk National Park were to implement public access for recreation, it would have to be minimal. Such as hunting trips with guides who understand the ecology of the land and how many animals may be killed without depleting the herd, or guided fishing trips, or guided tours on dog sled. Access that encouraged the construction of roads, hiking and skiing paths, and snowmobiling trails I think would increase human activities and interactions and consequently reduce protection of the ecosystem. In order for Wapusk National Park to fully achieve the dual mandate of access and protection, the access must be limited to research and minimal guided human access.
Blog Reflection #3- What future would you like to see for the Alberta Tar Sands Project? Continued Growth, stop development early or some modified continuation?
The Alberta Tar Sands represent a vast source of oil, nearly two thirds of the world’s reserves are located in this region and as such it provides economic potential, employment opportunities and it supplies a market of high demand. These benefits however are quickly overshadowed by how the natural surroundings are negatively affected and the rising social issues associated with the project. It is for this reason that I would like to see development stopped early of the Alberta Tar Sands Project. With that being said, the economy of this region would suffer greatly if the projected was halted instantly and the repercussions in the short term for workers would be vast. A sudden loss of a job could potentially remove all income for a family. So in the short term, I think that modified continuation is the best route simply because it protects the economy, however the environment is the bottom line. In the end, present day society’s dependence on oil as a source of energy must change towards more sustainable sources. If the Alberta Tar Sands would continue to grow, there would be a misconception that there is enough oil to sustain our wasteful and consuming way of life for many years, when in reality the opposite is true. The future is not simply finding alternatives to hydrocarbons, but changing what is valued and how we perceive and measure wealth. In addition to oil failing to be a component in a sustainable future, the Alberta Tar Sands also poses a threat to the environment. Tar Sands oil is the world’s most harmful type of oil for the atmosphere, emitting high volumes of greenhouse gases during development. The air quality around the tar sands is greatly reduced due to this pollution and the surrounding land areas are completely destroyed, including all natural habitats. This decreases biodiversity in the area and creates additional pressure for native species to find alternate areas to inhabit. The tailing ponds that are created at tar sands are toxic and extremely harmful to the environment, however there are not always measures in place to prevent wildlife from entering the ponds. Furthermore, the amount of energy required to process the oil sands into usable oil is vast compared to conventional oil extraction methods. It requires nearly a two to one ratio to produce, meaning that two tons of oil sands only produces one barrel of oil. Is this economically viable? Considering the great amount of energy input required on an Earth with limited oil, seems as though it is simply using a finite energy source to extract a minimal amount of another finite energy source, and all at a high cost.
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| The Alberta Tar Sands (http://www.borealbirds.org/tarsands.shtml, 2007) |
As well as having negative impacts on the environment, the Alberta Tar Sands Project poses several social issues that have created animosity and hostility. Most of the work force that is employed at the sands are young, single men that have a large disposable income. Accompanied by the long hours of work, are often long hours of excessive partying, drinking and drugs. There is also strain between workers in terms of ethnic and social differences that result in violence. Despite this however, there is a large flux of workers moving to Alberta to work in the oil industry, largely for the high pay, and as such the cost of living is beginning to rise. There are not enough homes and apartments to accommodate the growing population of many cities in Alberta. This forces local residents who are looking to buy a home, to move elsewhere where prices are more inexpensive. The combination of social and environmental issues, leads to the conclusion that the Alberta Tar Sands Project should stop development because the exploitation of oil promotes a lifestyle that is highly unsustainable and dependant on a diminishing resource. The focus should be on development of alternative energy sources because this is ultimately what will fuel the future when oil disappears.
Notes Reflections
After watching the documentary entitled, Fresh, in class I was astounded by how industrial farming and mechanization as taken over agriculture. The pesticides, fertilizers and genetic modification of crops has reduced the biodiversity of arable land regions and created a monoculture. This system has become highly susceptible to super weeds and it poses as an environmental pollutant whereby applied chemicals enter waterways and leech into the soil. Furthermore, animals that are grown to produce eggs, milk, beef and chicken, are fed antibiotics and kept in extremely close confinements in order to maximize production for a given space. This creates vulnerability because the animals are becoming resistant to antibiotics so if an epidemic were to occur, entire farms would be wiped out. The major issue here is that not only is modern agriculture and animal production highly vulnerable and unhealthy, but it is dominating today’s grocery stores and a large portion of consumers are unaware of process involved in producing their food. Wholesome, natural food is rare and choices are limited. 84% of meat production is controlled by three major companies, so essentially you have the choice of inexpensive, feedlot grown beef or more expensive organic free range beef. For impoverished families, single mothers and university students on a tight budget, paying extra for what they believe is the same thing, is not economically viable. So you end up seeing countless grocery store super centres and Wal-Marts that do not even offer organic foods from sustainable farms, because the market is lacking and there are so few farmers who are able to afford sustainable practices.
During the Oil and Us discussions in class, I was grouped to talk about the book I read for my position paper, The Big Thaw written by Ed Struzik. It was a very enlightening and interesting conversation about our various viewpoints on the novel and the overall message that Struzik was attempting to portray. In the end we all agreed that the main issue in the Arctic is a lack of communication between indigenous peoples and researchers. Unfortunately, the values of the indigenous peoples and the scientists seeking to preserve the land are immensely dissimilar. On one hand, they have preserved their ways of life by hunting only as many native animals as they need to survive and they see their way of life as sustainable because what may appear as a formidable region to the outside world, has allowed generations to thrive through their spiritual and physical connection to the land. Despite this however, there is mounting evidence suggesting that many species which native hunters have relied upon for survival are now at risk of extinction. There are many possibilities for the cause of this, ranging from global climate change, emerging diseases, overhunting, and human development, however regardless of the cause, the consequences are evident. This is very similar to the issue involving modern agricultural practices and farming families. Regions in Southern Manitoba are rich in arable land that is prime for abundant agricultural production and many of the farmers who reside in this area, have come from a long line of dedicated and hard working farmers. As pesticides, fertilizers, mechanization, genetic modification, and monocultures have been introduced into agriculture, the added pressures to the land have created a vastly unsustainable system. Yet despite this, many farmers lack awareness into the effects and causes of the array of environmental problems associated with intensive agricultural practices. This is not the fault of farmers, just as the extinction of native species in the Arctic is not the fault of native peoples. Ultimately disconnect between social issues and science also will fuel environmental degradation and prevent the implementation of sustainable practices, both in the Arctic and rural areas.
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| Chicken feed lots (http://urbanchickenunderground.blogspot.com/2008/07/big-chicken.html, 2008) |
References:
Twain, Mark (1902). Brainy Quote. Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_twain.html.
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