Blog post #2

Summaries

summary section 4: a sand county almanac

The section goes onto discuss how humans need to change their relationship to the land. Instead of using the land as a resource that we can harvest for our own personal gain and profit, humans should appreciate the land. Humans are not the only species that depend on the land, everything is interconnected and if one link is destroyed, it threatens the entire web.

summary section 6: the historical roots of our ecological crisis

The article discusses humans and our exploitation of ecology. As our technology and science develop, humans become more and more disconnected from nature. Humans see our selves above nature and exploit it to meet our needs despite the backlash of our actions. Eventually we will reach a point where our technology will cause backlashes that we cannot fix. To solve this problem, the human race must take a different perspective on our relationship to ecology, we must consider ourselves equal, and not above.

summary section 13: a path to sustainable energy by 2030

Today's sources of energy such as fossil fuels, coal, and nuclear generate too much pollution and the abundance of resource declines, the cost will rise. The future of energy lies with the greener energy resources known as WWS(wind, water, solar). Currently only windis close to any other energy resource in the market today, but it is predicted within the next twenty to thirty years, WWS will be the dominant source of energy while providing close to zero pollutants.

summary section 23: climate change 2007: the physical science basis

THe concentrations of green house gases since the mid 20th century has dramatically increased which is leading the dramatic global changes. The changes include: warmer temperatures, melting of the earths ice shelves, rise in sea levels, higher concentration carbon dioxide, nitrogen and methane. Predictions for the future include: continued increase in temperature, loss of ice and rise in sea level if if current levels of green house gases is kept constant.

Activities

Activity: Consider your reliance on fossil fuels. Are you comfortable with your level of dependence? Do you feel that this is sustainable for the next 10 years? Are there steps you would like to take to reduce this reliance?

For the most part I am not that reliable on fossil fuels as I do not own a car and drive a motorcycle. I also take the transit system to and from the university. I am content with my fossil fuel consumption, but speaking for the rest of civilization, I do not believe this is a sustainable source of energy for the next 10 years. Throughout the class we discussed alternatives to fossil fuels, such as electric cars, hydrogen fuel cells, wind and tidal energy generation, and one I specifically liked was solar panels replacing roof shingles. I believe this is the way of the future, all the people need is a gentle push to get rolling in the right direction. Currently the cost is the biggest issue with a switch is the cost to do so. One step I would take to move into a greener future is constructing all newly built houses with the solar panel roofing. During the show casing of the house, the solar panel roofing would be a key point in the home. The panels would be durable enough to with stand the elements, and the energy it generates would be enough to power the house cutting electricity bills or at least provide some sort of hybrid solar energy/hydro-electric energy. Once people catch onto the savings from the panels, surely the rest will follow.

Reflections

Blog reflection: What future would you like to see for the Alberta tar sands project?

I personally believe that the human population must transition out of the fossil fuels if we are to continue living on the planet Earth; however that change will not come overnight. I believe a gradual transition is more realistic. I think a modification to our current Alberta tar sands project is in order. A method that is less harmful to environment and produces less oil coinciding with the introduction of more renewable sources of energy would be a more beneficial route to the greener future planet Earth needs. Eventually phasing out of fossil fuels is the only chance that humans can remain living on the planet with our current standards of living.

Blog reflection: can parks meet its dual mandate of access and protection? How can this be achieved in Wapusk?

I think the best way to protect wildlife and they ecosystem is to limit human interaction as minimal as possible. Once humans and other species interact, there is usually conflict between species and for the most part humans come out on top. With that said I don’t think parks can meet its mandate of access and protection, the best way to protect a natural environment is to leave it alone. With Wapusk national park in mind, we must limit our interaction to a minimal, including minimizing resource harvesting, clear cutting, large amounts of human traffic. The area is a large polar bear breeding ground and as the human species expands its territories, wild life loses its homes.