Here we need to be able to explain in some (but not too much) detail the science
ID: 286371 • Letter: H
Question
Here we need to be able to explain in some (but not too much) detail the science behind global warming. OUCH! How do you do that in a couple of pages? Kind of hard, huh? But we need to be able to do this, because we have to be able to explain to our friends and co-workers how the global ecosystems work, and how they will change if we keep warming the planet through greenhouse gas emissions. And we need to understand why these changes will be harmful not only to the animals that currently exist, but to our own species as well. So the assignment for this week is to do that – explain how our planet functions as one big ecosystem. Or, to think of it another way, you are going to try and explain how everything is connected.
The Unraveling World – what are the main changes to life on earth that are occurring as you write this assignment? What do they signal about the future of life on the planet?
Peril at the Poles – how has global warming changed the polar regions, and how has that change affected life? If these changes continue at the present rate, what will be the probably effect of life on earth?
The Great Stumpy Reef – how do our reefs show us the negative effects of Global Warming? What is the main hazard to life if we lose them?
A Warning from the Golden Toad – how did weather changes cause the disappearance of species of toads? What does this tell us about global warming?
Liquid Gold – how have changes in climate changes rainfall pattern? How have those changes harmed human groups? How is affecting the industrialized world right now? Expand on that – if we keep changing the climate even more severely, what are some of the likely problems to face humanity as a species?
An Energetic Onion Skin – same question for the atmosphere. How is global warming affecting our atmosphere, and what problems is that causing Humanity?
Playing at Canute – what is the big unknown about ocean warming and the polar ice caps?
Application – Using information from assignment 3a and 3b write a short essay – about a page (double spaced) – to explain the basic ecosystem of the planet and how human relate to that ecosystem. How is human activity changing that ecosystem? What are the negative effects, in general, of this change on humans themselves? Now, look at the country you are reporting on. What are the main problems that country will face based on these general problems (in other words, what are the specific problems for this country?)
Explanation / Answer
Humans interact with the world around us every day, but some of our actions are more harmful than others. As our population approaches the effects of human activities on the ecosystem, including the water, air, land and the life that we share the world with, are almost immeasurable.Humans pollute the land, water and air with unwanted refuse. Almost billion people don’t have access to clean water. The U.S. alone produces 147 metric tons of air pollution. In some countries, the smog caused by air pollution is deadly and can block out the sun in a dense haze. It is rare to find a beach in the world that doesn’t have litter. Humans produce million tons of plastic each year. More tons of that plastic are dumped into the oceans. The plastic in the oceans has devastating effects on wildlife.The use of genetic modified organisms has played an important role in increasing crop yields so we can feed our populations. In addition to providing better crop yields, modified plants are better able to resist disease and parasites, tolerate more extreme temperatures, or thrive with less water. However, modifying plants has not always been intentional. Burning of fossil fuel is producing CO2 are affecting planet ecosystem and formed global warming.As our population continues to increase, humans create more and larger farms, which means removing the dwindling number of forests. The majority of the adverse effects of climate change are experienced by poor and low-income communities around the world, who have much higher levels of vulnerability to environmental determinants of health, wealth and other factors.As large amounts of forests are cleared away, allowing exposed earth to whither and die and the habitats of innumerable species to be destroyed, the indigenous tribes who depend on them to sustain their way of life are also irreparably damaged.The loss of forests has an immediate and direct effect on their lifestyle that we in the modern world, despite our own dependency on what the rainforest provides, will never know. Human overpopulation is among the most pressing environmental issues, silently aggravating the forces behind global warming, environmental pollution,habitat loss, the sixth mass extinction, intensive farming practices and the consumption of finite natural resources, such as fresh water, arable landand fossil fuels, at speeds faster than their rate of regeneration.