Enviromental Science

Discussion 1Calculate your personal ecological footprint using Global Footprint Network’s Footprint Calculator and briefly summarize your results. Were you surprised by any aspect of your ecological footprint? Discussion 2Select a pressing environmental issue that has personal relevance. You may find ideas from the textbook, from mainstream media, or from the list provided. Once you choose a large-scale issue, think about how the issue impacts you personally. For example, you may be interested in water quality (the larger issue). You could then consider how water quality impacts you in your daily activities such as drinking water that is contaminated with pharmaceuticals or agricultural waste (personal impact). Compose a brief (1- to 2-paragraph) introduction to your topic by stating why it is a pressing issue. Be sure to support your statements with facts and details from credible sources. State how the issue impacts you personally (1 paragraph) and include a summary of at least one local or regional problem associated with this issue (1 paragraph).Discussion 3Then, search Science Daily or a news story about a natural science topic that’s less than six months old. Make sure to choose a story that interests you, because you’ll use this news story for all the projects in this course. Once you’ve chosen a news story, summarize the main ideas from the article. Then, draft two questions that a natural scientist might ask about the topic. Include both the summary and the two questions in your initial post. As you write your questions, think about what you’ve learned about the natural sciences and scientific thinking in the module overview. For instance, if you chose an article on volcanic eruptions, you might ask: what causes eruptions to happen and how do we predict when they’ll occur? Make sure to include the news story title and a link to it in your post. 

What is the environment?

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words: Select an air or water pollutant that affects your community or household (emissions, chemical, pesticide, etc. – be specific about the contaminant). What are the environmental and health impacts of the pollutant? What are some strategies for reducing or removing the negative environmental and human health impacts?

Choose an environmental issue that interests you.  What is the contaminant and where is it most commonly found? What is its most common rote of exposure? Who does it affect? What are the health concerns for this contaminant? What is being done about this environmental hazard/exposure?

The term carrying capacity refers to the idea that a habitat contains a limited amount of resources to sustain organisms in that niche.  This threshold may vary over time and depends on a variety of environmental factors.  Though many scholars have attempted to calculate carrying capacities for various ecological niches, it is complicated to determine.  In the case of our species, it is especially difficult to determine how many humans can be supported by what Earth is able to produce.  According to the World Population Clock  (Links to an external site.) , there are approximately 7.8 billion people alive on earth today.  What is our carrying capacity, and what will we do if we reach it? A much-heated debate has developed over this issue, and there are a few schools of thought regarding carrying capacity: Malthusian perspective (named after Thomas Malthus): Humans will undoubtedly reach Earth’s carrying capacity.  Once we reach capacity, a large portion of the population will not have access to resources.  This is a fairly pessimistic perspective that contends that humans cannot change Earth’s carrying capacity…No matter what we do, natural selection will keep us from overcoming. Marxist perspective: Somewhat rejects the Malthusian perspective on carrying capacity.  Proponents argue that the carrying capacity isn’t the same for humans (due to our scientific advances) or is more extensive than we think.  There are adequate resources available on Earth, but they are not distributed equally.  It is possible to sustain ourselves.  The issue is that some individuals have greater access to resources than others.  It is argued that if everyone works together, resources can be controlled adequately. Neo-Malthusian perspective: Similar to the Malthusian perspective (there is a carrying capacity), but proposes that humans can expand our carrying capacity.  Emphasizes human ingenuity and population control.  Proponents believe that we have the ability to solve these problems and expand Earth’s carrying capacity with technological advances.  Though highly controversial, some proponents argue that we need strong limits on reproduction and should require people to go through an application process before being allowed to have children. Q: What are your thoughts on the carrying capacity debate?  Is there a particular school of thought you agree with?  ompt: The term carrying capacity refers to the idea that a habitat contains a limited amount of resources to sustain organisms in that niche.  This threshold may vary over time and depends on a variety of environmental factors.  Though many scholars have attempted to calculate carrying capacities for various ecological niches, it is complicated to determine.  In the case of our species, it is especially difficult to determine how many humans can be supported by what Earth is able to produce.  According to the World Population Clock  (Links to an external site.) , there are approximately 7.8 billion people alive on earth today.  What is our carrying capacity, and what will we do if we reach it? A much-heated debate has developed over this issue, and there are a few schools of thought regarding carrying capacity: Malthusian perspective (named after Thomas Malthus): Humans will undoubtedly reach Earth’s carrying capacity.  Once we reach capacity, a large portion of the population will not have access to resources.  This is a fairly pessimistic perspective that contends that humans cannot change Earth’s carrying capacity…No matter what we do, natural selection will keep us from overcoming. Marxist perspective: Somewhat rejects the Malthusian perspective on carrying capacity.  Proponents argue that the carrying capacity isn’t the same for humans (due to our scientific advances) or is more extensive than we think.  There are adequate resources available on Earth, but they are not distributed equally.  It is possible to sustain ourselves.  The issue is that some individuals have greater access to resources than others.  It is argued that if everyone works together, resources can be controlled adequately. Neo-Malthusian perspective: Similar to the Malthusian perspective (there is a carrying capacity), but proposes that humans can expand our carrying capacity.  Emphasizes human ingenuity and population control.  Proponents believe that we have the ability to solve these problems and expand Earth’s carrying capacity with technological advances.  Though highly controversial, some proponents argue that we need strong limits on reproduction and should require people to go through an application process before being allowed to have children. Q: What are your thoughts on the carrying capacity debate?  Is there a particular school of thought you agree with?

Climate change in the Bay Area and the drought effect on the ocean water, attracting great white shark to hunt seals as close as Alcatraz in the bay ·  Written project (minimum of 1750 words, or double that for team projects; include a References list & captioned maps/illustrations) due December 13,  ·   ·  Presentations (narrated PowerPoint presentation, YouTube videos or live) to be posted online for viewing or scheduled for December 2, 9 or 16  Instructions: 1.  You may work individually or collaborate in teams of two.  2.  Select a Bay Area environmental issue NOT discussed in detail in lectures, films, or readings. General topic areas might include agricultural preservation, air pollution, climate change/sea level rise, endangered species/wildlife, energy, environmental justice, housing developments, invasive species, land use planning, marine sanctuaries, parks/open space, sustainability, transportation, waste disposal, water pollution/resources.  3.  Find a more specific case study: how the topic you have selected is being addressed in a particular place and/or by a specific organization; a particular species or pollutant; a specific tract of land, community or watershed.  4.  Locate at least 5 references that will help you learn about this topic. Online references are fine. Provide a complete References list in your proposal (not just url’s but author, title, date accessed as well.) Your written project will need 5-10 References; be sure to cite all sources of facts, information and opinions.  5.  How are environmental groups’ actions and/or public policies shaping this topic in the Bay Area? Be sure to address any controversies or different stakeholder perspectives.  6.  Prepare a brief presentation (a narrated PowerPoint, video or podcast) to help your classmates understand what is at stake, why it is important and what you have concluded from your research. Individuals will have 5 minutes for presentations; teams will have double time. For more information on Bay Area read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Area 

This is your last week and last assignment. This is your time to summarize what you have learned through the process of writing an EA – and to discuss the results of your impact analysis. For this assignment, write a justification for your choice of a preferred alternative for your “virtual” project. Refer to your Matrix to make sure your justification is consistent with your impact analysis. Be thorough, but concise, citing laws, regulations, etc. to support your choice. You may cite any similar projects that you have found in your web and library searches. Remember, you are basing your choice of a preferred alternative upon the issues, concerns, impacts and actions that you have defined (created/chosen to include) within your “virtual project/environmental assessment”. Your essay should include: 1) a brief description of your project, 2)one or 2 lines regarding the purpose/need for the project, a brief list of the project alternatives, and 3)a detailed explanation as to why you chose the alternative you did as the Preferred Alternative. You must use your analysis of the project alternatives to justify your choice of a Preferred Alternative. Be sure to cite any references/sources of information used in the APA Format (see Resources in the classroom for guidance). 4)a discussion of at least one cumulative or secondary impact(s) that you found while developing your EA

Can you complete by Wednesday afternoon? Our planet is experiencing an increase in Desertification. This is happening because of our planet’s growing population and the use of fossil fuels. In this assignment, you will learn about Desertification, and how it influences our lives and the global community. For this assignment, you will be provided with two assignment choices.  You will select the one that you prefer, and complete the tasks listed for that choice.  View this instructional video, then download the SCI201 Worksheet (attached) and complete the tasks associated with your assignment choice. Instructional video link: https://resources.careered.com/LCMSFileSharePreview/Resources/HTMLFiles/EnvironmentalScience_U4_IP.html   Choice 1 Grading CriteriaUnit 4 Individual Project Grading Criteria Points Max Points Summarized first topic choice is on desertification, provides the main points of the section in one paragraph 20 Summarized second topic choice on desertification, providing the main points of the section in one paragraph 20 Summarizes third topic choice on desertification, providing the main points of the section in one paragraph 20 Summarizes section 9 adequately, covering all main points in one paragraph 15 Relates interesting points of readings to how desertification can impact student’s own life  15 Uses proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar to write clearly and effectively.  10 Total: 100 For more information on Desertification read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desertification

Case study: An operator was scooping an active pharmaceutical ingredient powder (MIE = 15 mJ) from a Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container (FIBC) into a sieve when an explosion/flash fire occurred in the vicinity. The sieved powder (fine particulates) flowed through the sieve into a stainless steel bin on nylon wheels as can be seen in Figure 1. Though not specifically shown in Figure 1, the procedure required that the bin be covered with a plastic sheet to “reduce” dust emission (as shown in Figure 2). The procedure also required the bin to be earthed with a clamp to a nearby ladder (as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3). The sieve itself rested on nylon wheels but contained an electric motor which was earthed. The operator was wearing conductive shoes. (i) Develop a plausible scenario that describes the most likely cause of the explosion/flash fire. (ii) Describe the various control measures you would implement to minimize the likelihood of such an explosion/flash fire re-occurring in the future.

Nowadays (maybe it has been always the case), Humanity is facing big challenges. Some of them are Global Warming, wars, and Ethical crises. How can Muslims be born again and become leaders of a new civilization? What can they contribute to humanity? 1000 Words! 3-4 pages  For more information on Global Warming read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Warming