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More handpicked essays just for you.
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Sustainability issues go hand in hand with increases in population, “urban sprawl”. Phoenix continues to see an increase in population growth and thus a sustainability issue that has arisen from such growth is traffic congestion. Having too many cars on the road, cars traveling at lower speeds, and having longer trip times then in previous years causes traffic congestion (Frias, 2007). Traffic congestion in Phoenix is observed from a local spatial scale as Phoenix is composed of many suburbs. It is important to look at the history of this problem, as it seems to go hand in hand with urban sprawl. The more spread out Phoenix has become; the more traffic congestion seems to prevail (Frias, 2007). From 1982 to 1999 traffic congestion nearly doubled in all metropolitan areas (Downs 2005). The evolution of traffic congestion has also grown with the dependency on the automobile as being the primary source of transportation (Downs, 2005). Temporally the issue of traffic congestion will be examined over the last two decades. Traffic congestion is a wicked problem; it meets each of the six characteristics to be considered such.
Characteristic 1: Vague Problem Definition
Any one who has to commute would be considered a primary stakeholder as traffic congestion plays a part in their daily routine, taking time out of their lives, adding to their stress levels, or the increasing their chance of being involved in an automobile accident due to more vehicles being on the road (Downs, 2005). Public officials are another stakeholder group as they determine what funds and resources have to be allocated to transportation issues (Cox, 2000). Residents of Phoenix and its suburbs are stakeholders because public health is at risk due to the...
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... seen businesses go under during the construction of the light rail and the very community change as more and more developments are constructed. This is a problem that needs to be solved because it has effects in so many areas. People should care because if they live in Phoenix traffic congestion has a direct effect on their health, their economy, and their lives. No one wants to spend more time in a car then necessary, no one wants to breathe in more pollution then necessary, and no one wants to pay increasing gas prices. More questions remain as far as solutions to this problem. What is the perfect combination of solutions to solve this wicked problem? How can dependency on the automobile be reduced when society is so accustomed to using their cars? It gets so hot in Phoenix that temperature must also be a factor when considering transportation alternatives.
Is it right to think that population is a threat to the global environment? Is there indeed a direct correlation between population and environment? Is there such thing as overpopulation and who has the power to say that there is what they called overpopulation? These are some of the questions that are running through my mind. Now, in response to the question “Is limiting the population growth a key factor in protecting the global environment?” I with all conviction say no to that. I believe that it is the behavior of the people and not the population growth itself that affects the environment.
Since my freshmen year of high school, I have met peers who rely on public transportation to get to school every day since the school bus system did not serve their neighborhood. They were students who were eager to come to school everyday, relying on MTS to transport them to school on time every day. Similarly, my mother relies on MTS to get her to work on time every morning and home every afternoon. Both students and adults alike have had little to no problems with the transportation system; when there were problems, MTS was able to adjust their schedules or routes to serve the community. A friend who just recently began to rely on public transportation to transport her to school has told me the interesting experiences she has encountered during the time she has used the public transportat...
... 15 to 25 percent in the number of miles people drive, hours of vehicle travel and projected pollution from a sprawl development forecast over the next 20 years. We can only hope that more equitable regulations will be set forth to lower pollution and help save the public health from its tragic downfall.
Pollution is a major problem for all of us. People need to recognize this situation so we can start making a difference to this problem. In order to start making a difference, the federal government should increase gasoline tax by one dollar a gallon. Fifty percent of this dollar will go towards public transportation, since passenger cars and trucks are a major contribution towards air pollution, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, E.P.A (10/4, http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/emsns.html). Due to the expected increase after this is put forth, the remaining fifty percent of the dollar will go towards safety on these transits. When public transportation increases, air pollution will decrease, which will lessen the harmful health risks towards the environment.
Newman, P. (1999). Transport: reducing automobile dependence. In D. Satterthwaite (Ed.), The Earthscan reader in sustainable cities (pp. 67-92). London: Earthscan Publications.
Human population growth was relatively slow for most of human history. Within the past 500 years, however, the advances made in the industrial, transportation, economic, medical, and agricultural revolutions have helped foster an exponential, "J-shaped" rise in human population (Southwick, Figure 15.1, p. 160). The statistics associated with this type of growth are particularly striking: "Human beings took more than 3 million years to reach a population of 1 billion people...The second billion came in only 130 years, the third billion in 30 years, the fourth billion in 15 years, the fifth billion in 12 years..." (Southwick, p. 159). As human population has grown, there has been simultaneous growth within the industrial sector. Both of these increases have greatly contributed to environmental problems, such as natural resource depletion, ecosystem destruction, and global climate change. Also linked with the increasing human population are many social problems, such as poverty and disease. These issues need to be addressed by policy makers in the near future in order to ensure the survival and sustainability of human life.
Public transportation is an essential part of a city. A good public transit can encourage a city’s economic activities and can provide its citizen a convenient life. Does our Phoenix public transit work well? Does it provide sufficient service to the citizen? From my experience, the answer is no. This November I tried to attend the popular State Fair in Phoenix. However, I found that there were not any buses or metros could take me to the fair directly. It means I need 2 hours or more spend on the public transits. As the sixth most populous city nationwide (“Phoenix Quick Fact” 1), compared with Los Angeles and other big cities in America, Phoenix’s public transportation is indeed subpar. Due to Los Angeles has 154 bus lines and 30 metros (“Schedule”), New York has 316 bus lines and 28 subways(“Maps & Timetables”), while Phoenix only has 98 bus lines, and the number of metro line is only one! (“Route Schedules & Maps”) The problem is
Jacques-Yves Cousteau once said, “Overconsumption and overpopulation underlie every environmental problem we face today” (“Population,” Internet). With the current statistics, Jacques could not be more accurate. Every second, 4.2 people are born and 1.8 people die, which would be a net gain of 2.4 people per second (“Population,” Internet). At this steady rate, the environmental health is spiraling downwards, and it is safe to assume humans are responsible for this. As the population increases, harmful effects on the land, water, and air also do.
A nineteen year old pregnant Chinese girl is forced to abort because she is "too young" to have a child. Iran, an Islamic nation, instructs religious leaders to promote contraception as a social duty. A Norwegian international banker worries about "migratory tensions" that would engulf his nation with waves of third world immigrants. A Los Angles Times article decries the lack of an official United States population policy. What do these statements share in common?
Axehausen, and Erath. "Urban Sustainability and Transportation: Research Framework for Medium and Long Term Transport Planning." Journeys 7 (2011): 7-19.
“Sustainable Development: At its heart, sustainable development is the simple idea of ensuring a good quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come. It is about living within the carrying capacity of the environment so that how we live, work and enjoy leisure activities, which do not harm or put undue pressures on the environment. It is about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to have a decent education, a quality environment that they take pride in, good health and a decent job (n.p, 2014)”
Human population growth is becoming a huge issue in our world today. The population is increasing rapidly. The reason that it is becoming a concern is because it has affected the economic, environmental, and social aspects of our world. In the film Frontline: Heat, we can see how there might not be a future for our planet unless we are able to reduce the emissions and make our world a safe place. Not only for the present but also for future generations so that they are able to live long and healthy lives.
Seven and a half billion. Enough steps to walk around the globe a hundred and sixty times. Our planet is trying to provide and sustain for a colossal number of people which is expanding every single second. Now the concern that has been put forth by scholars come from the idea that the consumption and effects to our planet by our current society is an international security risk that greatly compromises the future generations. Confucius even mentions this at the earliest start of civilization by saying:
Overpopulation is a growing problem all over the world. This is a very important environmental issue and needs to be dealt with. This environmental problem is affecting many countries in the world, but mostly the poor and impoverished countries that don’t have the resources to help deal with these issues. It also affects the environment like plants animal life and air quality. When the population of people expands we need more natural resources from the environment, so we consume more then we can produce. This leads to the lack of resources in many areas. When expanding we create a lot of pollution in the air, water, and land. The pollution affects many humans health. Overpopulation is doing more harm than any other environmental issue. Overpopulation also causes many of the other issues we are dealing with. This is very dangerous to not only us humans but the planet. Even though many wealthy countries are not affected by this overpopulation, I feel like they should help the cause. There is always two sides to an issue like this. Some people don’t think that overpopulation is a big problem and the ones who say it is an issue that needs to be dealt with.
Our world is too small for our ever rapidly growing population. One day resources will run dry and vanish, which will bring death and loss to all nations on this planet. Many researchers and scientists have confirmed that the population will reach 10 billion by the end of the century and will continue to stream upward. There are many different ways in trying to decrease population to contain global warming and assist our environmental changes. The only way to steadily succeeding, families must be the regulators of their fertility and future. Environmentalism can head in a negative direction, which may result in population control and even anti-immigrant policies. Can the developing effort of ‘population integrity’ protect our world while recognizing birth moralities?