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Impact of global warming on arctic region
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Drilling oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a serious issue for environmentalists and for the future of the United States. Should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be opened to oil drilling? This paper will debate whether or not we should allow Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to be opened to oil drilling. This will also show the impact it has on the environment, and I will show a critical analysis of the current issue of whether or not to drill.
History
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Northeastern part of Alaska and is the largest wildlife in the country. The ANWR covers more than 19 million acres of forests, mountains, wetlands, tundra, and rivers, and it is the habitat to distinctive and extinct species including sheep, wolves, musk, oxen, migratory birds, caribou, and polar bears (Defenders of Wildlife, 2010). The ANWR was established in 1960 to protect fish, wildlife populations, and habitats in their natural range, plus gives the opportunity for local residents to maintain their subsistence way of life (U.S. Wildlife Service, 2010).
The Arctic Refuge has long been recognized as a place of natural beauty and ecological magnitude. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the Refuge calls it "the only conservation system unit that protects, in an undisturbed condition, a complete spectrum of the arctic ecosystems in North America (Alaska Alpine adventure, n.d.).” Easton (2009) states that “the refuge is designated as a U.S. wilderness area, or an area where the Earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” Environmentalists stand strong for what they believe that the “Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is an area ...
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...pplications (Custom 5th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill
Defense of Wildlife. (2010). Arctic national wildlife refuge. Retrieved November 20, 2010 from http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/habitat_conservation/federal_lands/national_wildlife_refuges/threats/arctic/index.php
Easton, T. (2009). Taking sides: Clashing views on controversial environmental issues. (Custom 13th ed.).New York: McGraw-Hill
U.S. Wildlife Service, . (2010, February 10). Yukon flats national wildlife refuge. Retrieved November 20, 2010 from http://yukonflats.fws.gov/index.htm
Image retrieved November 21, 2010 from http://fedupnetwork.com/2008/06/29/internet-e-mail-about-anwr/
Image retrieved November 21, 2010 from http://www.katu.com/news/photos/95866799.html
National Audubon Society, . (2010). Arctic wildlife impacts. Retrieved from http://www.protectthearctic.com/fact_impacts.html
In this research paper, I will address the changes that occurred within the ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park since the reintroduction of the grey wolves. The paper will consist of four sections; the first section will include the history behind the extirpation and subsequent reintroduction of the gray wolf in Northern America. The second section will explore the political controversy that surrounds the reintroduction of the gray wolf in Yellowstone. The third section will contain discuss the gray wolf and its impact on the ecosystem of Yellowstone. I will conclude my essay by explaining how the gray wolves act as climate change buffers in Yellowstone amidst global warming.
Isle Royal is located fifty-six miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. It is the largest wilderness area in Michigan (USNPS, 2014). The island is surrounded by Lake Superior, which creates a cooler temperature. This results in arctic plant species growth on the island. There are only eighteen mammal species present on the island because most mammals cannot make the trip across the frozen great lake (USNPS, 2014). The need for an ice bridge is not the only environmental factor that is stopping the migration of animals; there is also the severe cold, and also wind and fog (Vucetich, 2012). Some species such as caribou and coyote have found the island to be too intense and have gone extinct (Vucetich, 2012). Due to the harsh weather and isolation of the island, humans have never regularly lived on the island (Vucetich, 2012). Some of species that are present such as the red squirrel are becoming their own subspecies due to its separation from the mainland (USNPS, 2014). The isolation of Isle Royal is what makes it a great place to conduct research, it has very low human interaction and the species that are on the island will have been and continue to be isolated from the mainland.
The environment needs protecting because even before the drilling started hunting was rapidly decreasing the amount of animals in the area. So if drilling occured in Alaska the animal count would go down even more. Drilling is gonna need space, and because Alaska is a mountained and woodland area they will have to make space by destroying trees etc. Destroying trees means destroying animals’ homes. According to document E ‘just look 60 miles west to Prudhoe bay- an oil complex that has turned 1,000 square miles of fragile tundra into a sprawling industrial zone containing, 1,500 miles of roads and pipes’. Also the document states that the would be
In order to depict the refuge in a positive manner to the American people, he accordingly used positively weighted words. First, in the first sentence of the article, Carter refers to the refuge as “America’s last truly great wilderness.” This invokes a sense of urgency in Americans to protect the refuge; the people of America cannot allow the greatest natural beauty in their country to be defamed. While describing his trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, President Carter paints an appealing picture in the minds of Americans.
Robbins, Jim. Last Refuge: The Environmental Showdown in Yellowstone and the American West. New York: Morrow, 1993. Print.
Richard, P. R., Laake, J. L., Hobbs, R. C., Heide-Jørgensen, M. P., Asselin, N. C., & Cleator, H. H. (2010). Baffin Bay Narwhal Population Distribution and Numbers: Aerial Surveys in the Canadian High Arctic, 2002-04. Arctic, 63(1), 85-99.
In summary, I will explore viewpoints on how race influences environmental decision-making, from a variety of perspectives: International sustainable development groups, national legislatures, and minority groups by interviews with representatives at each level.
..."Alaska Oil Spill Fuels Concerns Over Arctic Wildlife, Future Drilling." National Geographic News. 20 Mar. 2006. Web. 3 July 2010.
To persuade an audience to support their view, an author must establish their credibility and professionalism or else their argument will be perceived as illegitimate by the readers. Unprofessional statements such as "what's at stake as they busy themselves are your tax dollars and mine, and ultimately our freedom too" (lines 15-17) eliminates the validity of the justification made. The claim that environmentalists consume tax dollars is valid, but since it was presented in a hyperbolic and stereotypical manner, its effectiveness is lost. Exaggerating the effects of environmentalists by proposing that "our freedom" (line 17) is at stake due to the spending of tax dollars is pretentious and therefore decreases the productiveness of the argument as a whole. Stereotypical names given to both sides that are used throughout the passages such as "greens" (line 3) and "right-wingers" (lines 65-66) create a humorous tone that diminishes the credibility of the authors. Humor, a beneficial anecdote in some arguments that adds to the effectiveness when used in moderation, is excessively prevalent in the passages to the extent that both are perceived as absurd. Casual mockery such as the statement "some Bennington College student with a summer job will find an endangered red spider on your property, and before you know what happened the Endangered Species Act will be used to shut you down" (lines 19-23) augments the humorous tone of the passage and eliminates the productiveness of the assertions made. Wilson’s use of satire emphasizes the importance of not only the validity of the points made in justifying an argument, but also the diction used by the author and presentation in attributing to the argument's overall
National Parks are the cornerstone of every country because it preserves the rich cultural and natural resources of a nation, such as Yellowstone in the United States of America. Yellowstone National Park is the World’s First National Park which brings millions of attraction each year, it is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combine and have over a thousand species of plants and animal (Yellowstone Media). However, a very important type of species has been missing in Yellowstone National Park for a very long time. Wolves, which got reintroduce back into Yellowstone National Park, should stay there because without them the ecosystem would be out of balance.
The Alaskan moose are located between 60 and 70 degrees latitude in Alaska and Western Yukon. They reside in boreal forests which is an area “dominated by coniferous forests, particularly spruce, interspersed with vast wetlands, mostly bogs and fens”. and mixed woodlands which consist of both coniferous and deciduous trees where there are many fallen trees and much debris. This region receives very harsh winters, the ground is covered with snow and temperatures fall as low as −60 °F or -51.1 °C and so by early spring food is very scarce. As the warmer temperatures of late spring and summer arrive food becomes plentiful as shoots, grass and leaves begin to grow. Summer temperatures can reach as high as 90 °F or 34 °C, while precipitation in this region can range from 10 inches to 100 inches of rain per year. This mostly comes in the form of snow.
...gency of the situation is, you can spread awareness for that particular ecosystem or organism. You could also take part in the “Adopt an Arctic Fox” it’s a program set up by the WWF for not only the arctic fox, but other animals which are endangered. You pay money to adopt the animal for a certain amount of time and the money goes into saving the animal through protests, petitions, treaties and even scientific research. Finally, one of the most contributing and beneficial factors of this cause; the “Take Action” program. Take action is part of a branch of the WWF known as the “Wildlife Action Centre”. It is here where petitions and treaties are sent and enforced to and by government officials. Each year more and more people become interested in the cause and its effects. It is time now for us to take action and make a stand for species that cannot do so themselves.
Chasek, P. S., Downie, D. L., & Brown, J. W. (2014). The Development of Environmental Regimes: Chemicals, Wastes, and Climate Change. In P. S. Chasek, D. L. Downie, & J. W. Brown, Global Environmental Politics (6th ed., pp. 101-173). Boulder: Westview Press.
* Daily, Gretchen C., ed. Nature’s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1997.
Simmons, Randy T. Critical thinking about Environmental issues: Endangered Species. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Print.