By Tuesday, March 11, in a SINGLE STAND-ALONE post here at the course blog titled with your NAME and ENVIRO NEWS MIDPOINT UPDATE, please post:
1. Your opening 5-7 sentence paragraph (underline your thesis sentence, please);
2. A bulleted OUTLINE for your 8 paragraph project.
1. Your opening 5-7 sentence paragraph (underline your thesis sentence, please);
2. A bulleted OUTLINE for your 8 paragraph project.
3. At least FOUR images (with sourced captions!) you plan to use to illustrate your story.
You will present this update to us in class on Tuesday, March 11.
Looking forward!
Dr. W
You will present this update to us in class on Tuesday, March 11.
Looking forward!
Dr. W
Rebecca Bessette ENVIRO NEWS MIDPOINT UPDATE
ReplyDelete1. The topic of sea level rise is a complex topic and is caused by a myriad of factors. Research shows that seas have been rising steadily since the early 1990's at an average rate of 0.14 inches. This trend has a strong link to global warming and puts many cities like Manhattan and Long Island Sound and even entire islands like the Maldives at serious risk. A sinking island threatens the people of the Maldives and relocation is becoming a serious option for the coastal residents of New York and the Maldives. *Can the Maldivian lifestyle be salvaged? What will come of one of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.?*
2.
-Science of the rise
-Why the ocean is warmer (generally)
-Thermal expansion
-Melting glaciers
-Consequences
-Erosion
-Contamination
-Flooding
-Economics
-Areas that are in danger and their threats
-NY
-Maldives
-Miami
-What is being done?
-Relocation
-“Floating islands”
-The Island President
-Info from interviews/Performance
3. http://www.businessinsider.com/us-city-sea-level-rise-maps-nickolay-lamm-2013-4?op=1
Here is a projected picture of what NYC will look like in 100 years if sea levels continue to rise as is.
http://www.nccoastalmanagement.net/hazards/slr.html
Visual depiction of what causes sea levels to rise
http://www.climatecentral.org/gallery/graphics/sea-level-rise-and-population-impact
Graph of projected sea level rise by 2100 and the population affected
http://unwindmaldives.blogspot.com/2010/03/unwind-news-floating-convention-center.html
Proposed tourist solution
Cape Wind:
ReplyDelete1. Despite its clear environmental impact, the Cape Wind project emerged into a two-sided controversy between those who favored it and those who did not. The evolution of media coverage throughout the project proposals, debates, and policies has allowed this important environmental issue to gain widespread popularity nationally and internationally. Not only does it have the potential to catalyze future offshore wind farms, but it will inspire political activism about the environment. The Cape Wind project and controversy were recognized by notable media outlets including the New York Times. The voices behind and against the project have extended over blogs, National Public Radio, Facebook, Twitter, and more. Some journalists covered the people involved, some the environmental impacts, and others the politics and finances regarding the project.
2.
~Intro
~Background on Cape Wind, Timeline, etc.
~Those for it--Environmental activists, Deval Patrick
~Those against it--Wealthy landowners, Bill Koch
~Local coverage
~Impacts for environmental journalism...long-term, short-term, etc.
~Media takes on the project
~Conclusion
3. Four images
"Offshore Wind: State by State Analysis." Oceana, 2012. Web. .
"The Cape Wind Project." Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. N.p., 2014. Web. .
"Wind Power." Saving Wildlife from Mass Extinction Due to Global Warming. N.p., n.d. Web. .
"Koch Brother Wages 12-Year Fight Over Wind Farm." New York Times, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. .
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Deletehttp://www.all-creatures.org/hope/gw/02_green_tech_development.htm
ReplyDeletehttp://oceana.org/en/our-work/climate-energy/clean-energy/learn-act/state-by-state-analysis
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/23/us/koch-brother-wages-12-year-fight-over-wind-farm.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://www.saveoursound.org/cape_wind_threats/the_project/
For a few years now, New York State has been in the midst of a debate about whether or not to ban the process of hydraulic fracturing. Some people say that the natural gas industry will bring necessary economic benefits to the state, while others are fighting the industry because they say it will cause too much environmental damage. Some people have made the argument that we don’t have an alternative to natural gas. However, a new study done by Stanford University has proven that we haven’t invested much effort in seeking out alternative forms of energy. Their study found that all of New York’s energy infrastructure could be economically converted to wind, water, and sunlight. This energy plan based on renewable energy would be a much smarter investment for New York than a plan based on natural gas.
ReplyDelete-Intro
-Background on Fracking
-Background on the fracking battle in New York
-Renewable energy background
-New York State Renewable energy plan, and its feasibility
-Challenges for the plan
-Public awareness
-Why this plan is a smart investment
Images:
New Yorkers against fracking, and pro renewables:
http://nyagainstfracking.org/take-action/ny-crossroads-rally/
From, New Yorkers against Fracking
Potential for drilling in New York:
http://nfgaccountability.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Marcellus-Shale-potential-nfgaccountability.jpg
Renewable energy potential in New York:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/how-to-power-the-world_sidebar.jpg
From, Scientific American
Nice image or a wind turbine:
http://www.sustainable.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/wind-turbines17.jpg
By Tuesday, March 11, in a SINGLE STAND-ALONE post here at the course blog titled with your NAME and ENVIRO NEWS MIDPOINT UPDATE, please post:
ReplyDelete1.
Forty year old white female , animal trainer, attacked by a killer whale (Orcinus orca) at work reads the autopsy report of Dawn Brancheau, a SeaWorld trainer killed during a routine performance in 2010. This display of aggression that resulted in the death of a beloved trainer is an example of the ways an orca is negatively affected by the practice of animal captivity. "Captivity deprives them of those essential elements, leading to chronic stresses that appear as immunodeficiency, ulcers and hostility," says Howard Garrett of The Orca Network, a nonprofit dedicated to the spreading of public awareness of the issue of captivity and using animals for entertainment. Captivity causes physical and psychological trauma for the orcas. "At least forty-four orcas have died at SeaWorld parks, including four within four months in 2010," says Cathy Williamson, the Captivity Program Manager of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Captivity keeps orcas from living the life they are meant to live in nature. This causes negative effects on not only the orca themselves but on the orcas around them, and their trainers as well. Their trainers are put in unnecessary amounts of danger as they deal with wild and unpredictable animals unfit for captivity. In order to assure a better the quality of life for these unique creatures, captivity must end.
2. A bulleted OUTLINE for your 8 paragraph project.
• Introduction (above)
• stats about orcas in the wild (life span, health, habits, etc.)
• reality about orcas in captivity (same as above for contrast)
• physical problems that orcas face-lack of space, health problems
• psychological effects of captivity
• story of Dawn Brancheau in detail and why this is predicted to have happened, Blackfish
• what is SeaWorld doing to change this?
• What would the world be like without captivity?
3.
http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/753/cache/sea-world-trainer-defense_75362_600x450.jpg
PHOTOGRAPH BY MATHIEU BELANGER, REUTERS/CORBIS
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/dvd/files/2013/11/Dawn-Brancheau-010.jpg
Photograph: Barry Bland / Barcroft Media
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/131008181302-07-captive-whales-1008-horizontal-gallery.jpg
Photograph by Phelan M. Ebenhackzap
http://www.insidethemagic.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/seaworld-blackfish.jpg
Still from CNN documentary, Blackfish
The ski season in the Northeast has progressively been getting shorter, with less snowfall. The ski industry is of vital importance not only to those who find solace in winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding; but tourism, jobs and state revenue in the Northeast also rely this source of economic activity. Most Northeastern resorts now rely on expensive equipment to create artificial snow allowing for the ski season to last as long as possible. Resorts also have invested in creating more outdoor and indoor activities that can run in the summer or year-round. However, smaller ski areas are not able to economically afford this extra equipment. Thus, many ski areas in the Northeast, especially those of lower altitude, are at risk of not surviving the century as the area begins to see warmer, shorter winters.
ReplyDelete• Intro
• Climate change in general
• World wide/ broad US climate change
• Climate change Northeast US
• Effects of climate change on local ski areas
• How ski areas are coping
• Looking long-term
• Conclusion
A shirtless man watches two skiers at the Olympics on February 14, 2014. The warm temperatures in Sochi have created problems for some of the events.
HTTP://NEWS.NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/NEWS/2014/02/140221-CLIMATE-CHANGE-WINTER-OLYMPICS-GLOBAL-WARMING-SCIENCE/
Rising temperatures are leading less snow accumulating at lower altitudes.
http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/aspen-and-the-end-of-snow-20140117
Artificial snow-making has become the stopgap defense against the early effects of climate change
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/08/opinion/sunday/the-end-of-snow.html?_r=1
Graph of projections of ski areas in the Northeast (saved on my computer) by Daniel Scott for the Boston Globe
Hydrofracking is a controversial form of energy extraction that is beginning to gain popularity throughout the nation. Using a high enough pressure, a collection of chemicals can be pushed through the Earth, cracking shale and releasing pockets of natural gas that can then be used as fuel. New York State rests atop the Marsellus Shale, a massive reserve for natural gas. While Hydraulic fracturing would mean a more energy independent New York, there is a concern that fracking could negatively affect the water supply in Empire State. Two major New York watersheds exist within the Marsellus Shale. This past year, the New York State Assembly put hydrofracking in a moratorium state, meaning that for another two years, hydrofracking will be banned in the state. This is the third time the state government has issued this ban. While this means that hydrofracking’s usefulness will not be revaluated until 2015, there still remains an active debate in the state on the part that hydrofracking could play in the lives of New Yorkers. Lobbyist groups from both sides have stated their cases in the Assembly and Senate, but there are also farmers and business groups that have voiced their support for and against hydraulic fracturing.
ReplyDelete• What is Hydraulic Fracturing, making reference to Gasland and other sources.
• How these sources on hydrofracking have influenced and changed the minds of New Yorkers on fracking.
• Why groups of farmers have been in support of fracking even when presented with the potential downsides.
• Profiling anti-fracking groups and organizations and the work they are doing.
• What pro frackers have said in the face of evidence such as Gasland and other sources.
• Findings from the DEC and the Department of Health.
• What ripple effects could set in the state if fracking is allowed (i.e. wildlife affected, water)
• The chances of the moratorium being lifted in 2015.
• What anti fracking groups will do in the meantime while the moratorium is in effect.
• Conclusion
Four Images:
Map of the Marsellus Shale
http://asnews.syr.edu/newsevents_2012/releases/Project_SWIFT_Hydrofracking.html
Diagram of the Fracking Process and Fracking Drill
http://www.citizenscampaign.org/campaigns/hydro-fracking.asp
Image of Protesters at the Well in Albany, Ny
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Fracking-foes-push-drilling-ban-2681557.php
Farmers Rejecting Fracking Ban
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/ny_farmers_reject_anti-hydrofracking_position_at_farm_bureau_meeting.html
1. A new initiative in Vermont is calling for collaboration with the Upper Austrian State to promote biomass technology for heating energy. Vermont is somewhat unique in that it has large masses of forested area that can be harvested sustainably. There are, however, a fair amount of opponents to heavy use of biomass for heating. All things considered, this collaboration is occurring at an important point in Vermont’s heating history, after a winter of severe cold snaps has led to a serious propane shortage. Biomass heating is a growing and diversifying field that may revolutionize Vermont’s heating portfolio, if the concerns of the public can be properly addressed.
ReplyDelete2. Main points
• Basics of biomass incineration
• Alternative methods: compost heat recovery
• Basics of the collaboration
• Progress made so far
• Current state of Vermont heating/energy
• Propane shortage in detail
• Some cost benefit analysis
• Outline challenges
• Views of opponents
• Potential/ideal outcomes
3. http://teeic.anl.gov/er/biomass/restech/dist/index.cfm
Maps on side show areas/amounts/types of biomass available for energy production
http://www.energyjustice.net/biomass
Graph that shows carbon emissions from biomass energy production; all biogenic rather than fossil, but relatively high compared to traditional fuels
http://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2012/10/01/compost-power/
Images detailing the workings of compost heat recovery systems, a newer and exciting technology option for biomass heating
http://easttechrenewables.co.uk/generate-your-own/
See biomass boilers: details how a personal home biomass incinerator works
Outline:
ReplyDelete- Introduction
- Brief Background on Climate Change
- Environmental Disasters
- Confluence of issues: adding in overpopulation and food insecurity
- Pacific Islands
- Moving closer to home: Alaska/New Orleans/New Jersey
- Challenging sovereignty/legal implications
- Looking to the Future
Climate change is not only about the planet, it is about people. Not only does the changing world we live in challenge how we should live our lives day to day, but it is physically changing the locations we are able to do so. Climate refugees give a human face to the issue of climate change. This is not is not only about where people will move to, but it challenges the idea of living in a state-centric system. When people are displaced, the whole international system is turned upside-down. The legal system is inadequately prepared to deal with climate refugees. As Navy Vice Admiral Lee F. Gunn states, “addressing the changes in the Earth’s climate is not simply about saving polar bears and preserving the beauty of mountain glaciers. Climate change is a threat to our national security”. The world today is not only competing over limited resources, but there is also a limited amount of viable space for people to live. The only way to deal with the issue of climate refugees is preventing it from occurring. That will take leadership as well as planning on how to address the already occurring problem that is climate change. If we do not begin to discuss this issue than a serious question remains: can we reverse the changing climate before it is at the cost of displacing 150 million people around the world?
IMAGES
- Climate Refugees: the Human Cost of Climate Change
http://blogs.worldwatch.org/sustainableprosperity/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/6015038742_2ec9d07568_b-1.jpg
- Global warming could create 150 million 'climate refugees' by 2050
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Environment/Pix/pictures/2009/10/30/1256920279249/Climate-refugees-of-cyclo-002.jpg
- People being displaced
http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2011/10/climate-refugees.jpg
- Makeshift home after a storm
http://www.unhcr.org/thumb1/4b227c926.jpg
- Map of climate refugees
http://www.globalwarming.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Climate-Refugees-Map-by-UNEP-1024x577.png