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Human impact on the ecosystem
Human impact on the ecosystem
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Any discussion of contemporary environmental crises, which result from humanities interaction with the environment, can be a tricky discussion. Many international reports and conferences are indicating that global environmental problems are intensifying (Bailes, 1985) . A German writer in the 18th century summed up our predicament when he said “ nature, we are embraced by her , and are powerless to separate ourselves from her” (Bailes, 1985), this is representative of the essentiality behind human interaction towards nature, not only for our survival , but for the maintenance of nature itself. Environmental history as a discipline itself is relatively new, however its roots stem from the beginning of recorded history within any piece of writing recording and discussing environmental problems resultant of humanity’s interaction with the environment (Skabelund, 2001). Essentially it the culmination of written observance relating to the relationship between human society and the natural environment throughout recorded history(Bailes, 1985). I believe that by appreciating the role of environmental history in the reform of our relationship with the environment, we gain greater understanding of modern environmental issues. The focus of this essay will be around the Issue of flooding in Australia, with a focus on the 2011 Brisbane floods.
Flooding of settled areas within Australia has become such an inherent event, it is expected yearly during the rainy season. This is due to a mixture of fact that the severe wet season, running from March-April, and October-November, Features cyclones and heavy monsoon rains(Govt, 2013), as well as the composition of the majority of Australia’s coasts being developed due to their great property poten...
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...D. O. 1974. brisbane flood
MOORE, T. 2013. Grantham home relocation saved 'tens of millions [Online]. Available: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/grantham-home-relocation-saved-tens-of-millions-20130204-2dut3.html.
MURRAY, L. 2011. Australia floods of 2010–11 [Online]. encyclopedia britannica Available: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/new-plan-to-save-brisbane-from-floods/story-fn3dxiwe-1226870508349
NORMAN, B. 2013. smart planning for urban growth can minimise food risks [Online]. Available: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4492512.html.
QLD., C. S. 2012. How do we manage flood risks? [Online]. qld. Available: How do we manage flood risks?
SEQWATER 2012. wivenhoe dam.
SKABELUND, A. 2001. A Basic Guide to Resources on Environment History [Online]. Available: http://www.columbia.edu/~hds2/BIB95/00environment_skabelund.htm#introd.
Case study: the flooding that occurred in Minden Hills in the spring of 2013, flooded the downtown core. The picturesque cottage town has the Gull River flowing through it. The river overflowed in April because of many reasons: a couple of days of rain, the third largest amount in over a century, but it also happened because the frost in the ground stopped the water from going into the Earth, the lakes and rivers being full from the spring thaw, and the rapid
Tapas Biswas, A. K. a. J. A., 2012. Recent Floods and Salinity of the Murray River. [Online]
In the book “Collapse” written and theorized by Jared Diamond, historical societies known for their peril due to environmental and human catastrophes. Jared Diamond analyzes the root causes of failed societies and uses his knowledge to depict today’s warning signs. The main focus of this book is to present clear and undeniable evidence that human activities corrupted the environment. To prove this Diamon used past societies, modern societies, and social business societies as a foundation. The most specific and beneficial theories that Diamond analyzes would be the decline of biodiversity on Easter Island, the deforestation of the Greenland Norse, the mining mismanagements in Australia and big businesses.
The earth is facing climate change and the word has no longer positive meaning but negative definition. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol ratified the agreement about reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to avoid climate change and it seems to formulate the consensus that human activities cause global warming. As Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, adopted the Paris Agreement in the UN Climate Change Conference in 2015, Australia had pledged to contribute substantially to reduce emissions (Jones 2015). In terms of climate change in Australia, Tim Flannery is one of the most eminent scientists. The aim of this essay is to present Tim Flannery’s life, his contribution to society, an aspect of work, controversial issues, and opponents to discover him
The Johnstown Flood Stained the history of the United States. Over 2000 victims died and even more injured. The flood has been blamed on many people since it happened. One group individually brought about the flood. The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club made selfish changes threatening the effectiveness toward holding back a water overflow. The renovation made to the dam brought about the destruction killing many people and causing millions of dollars in damages.
and while they may generate a lot of rainfall in a short time it is
Memphis Tennessee floodings are awful events, but some have left their mark in history, and have impacted society making many people search for solutions. Historical flooding events have dated back beyond 1927, but Memphis’s first calamitous flood was in 1927, then in 2011, but between those dates there have been street floods that happen without interacting with the river. Many important aspects of everyday life are lost during floods such as lives, homes, and money. People have been searching for solutions to prevent floods, and ideas that are executed well could easily become an ideal panacea. Memphis is where I have been raised and experienced several floods, which gives me a much stronger feeling about the history, impacts, and techniques to stop floods.
Craig E.Colten’s book centers on a familiar problem that New Orleans city constantly faces, the flooding. In particular, the book focuses on the genesis of the flooding danger. In reference to Colten’s book, this essay will attack the statement “The environmental elements, as opposed to human actions, fully account for New Orleans’ problem with water”. The rationale of opening up unusable land by draining waters and construction of levees to contain Mississippi River water led to serious flooding during heavy downpour. After raising the levee systems to the desired levels in 1920s, the issues of drainage become apparent and the heavy rainfalls became the main cause of the wave of flooding in New Orleans. The thunderstorms –spawned rain replaced Mississippi River as the greatest threat. The water problem in New Orleans emanated from the human behavior of destroying natural conditions in New Orleans through natural environment modification to accommodate residential and commercial housing. From the foundation, New Orleans faced flooding threat, first from the Mississippi River and then downpour floods. Colten (2005) maintain that human wrested New Orleans site from nature resulting in continual struggle with water and floods.
The two essays by Michael Pollan and Curtis white talk about climate change in regards to the relationship between the environment and human beings. Although the two essays share the same topic, they take the subject and engage the readers in totally different points of views. Pollan’s essay talks about global and ecological responsibility being a personal virtue while Curtis discusses the socio-economic or political issues underlying sustainability (Pollan; White). These two essays are very different in terms of voice; however these pieces of writing are both important for people all over the world to read. Climate change and environmental disasters are a real issue. Just this year, there have been more storms, cyclones, earthquakes and typhoons all over the world. One cannot look at the state of many developing counties where the majority of the population is exposed and vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This issue on developing a viable solution for the problem of anthropogenic gases and global warming is long from being found. Not only this, many people do not want to hear about this issue since they do not think it is real. Unless people have tangible proof that their cars, thermostats and aerosol cans are contributing to climate change, they are not going to give up their lifestyles. By synthesizing the two essays, one can see that there is a need for change and that it is not an issue which should be dealt with in terms of ecological factors or even personal virtue. The social, economic and political factors affecting this problem and the move towards real sustainability should also be a topic that will raise awareness.
For economists and politicians, there are a few things that still are not considered, and the missing answers are only piling up; someone always has to win or lose out. Food policies are one of them. Bringing urban agriculture to cities is an incomparable move. When community food growing flourishes, the consumers seem to be healthier and smarter about what they eat, less p...
Despite the evidence to the contrary, many interest groups with considerable political clout have successfully perpetuated the argument that documented changes in the environment are a product of natural cyclical changes in climate, and are not associated with human activities. However, even the acceptance of this particular brand of reality is no grounds for the disregard of environmental consciousness. Even if one accepts the premise that recent climate change is not a result of human activity, the rationale behind environmental conservation remains valid.... ... middle of paper ...
A human induced global ecological crisis is occurring, threatening the stability of this earth and its inhabitants. The best path to address environmental issues both effectively and morally is a dilemma that raises concerns over which political values are needed to stop the deterioration of the natural environment. Climate change; depletion of resources; overpopulation; rising sea levels; pollution; extinction of species is just to mention a few of the damages that are occurring. The variety of environmental issues and who and how they affect people and other species is varied, however the nature of environmental issues has the potential to cause great devastation. The ecological crisis we face has been caused through anthropocentric behavior that is advantageous to humans, but whether or not anthropocentric attitudes can solve environmental issues effectively is up for debate. Ecologism in theory claims that in order for the ecological crisis to be dealt with absolutely, value and equality has to be placed in the natural world as well as for humans. This is contrasting to many of the dominant principles people in the contemporary world hold, which are more suited to the standards of environmentalism and less radical approaches to conserving the earth. I will argue in this essay that whilst ecologism could most effectively tackle environmental problems, the moral code of ecologism has practical and ethical defects that threaten the values and progress of anthropocentricism and liberal democracy.
Ponting, Clive. A New Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations. New York: Penguin, 2007. Print.
Urban flooding is a serious and growing phenomenon affecting both developed and developing countries. In the face of rapid urbanisation, climate change and their corresponding changes in urban hydrology, urban flood events appear to be on the increase (Amoako, 2012). Urban flooding has huge devastating effects on many aspects of urban life especially on the residents, economy and environment (eschooltoday, 2010).
Environmental philosophy tries to make sense of the unexamined values, assumptions and ideologies behind humanities treatment of the environment and, in doing so, aims at helping to elicit an effective human response to related issues (Curry, 2011). Environmental philosophy, has gone beyond being merely an academic pursuit, now requiring the world’s population take moral responsibility for the damages caused by their industrial advances on natural systems.