q1-4

Oil Spills Becoming Frequent Hazard for Fishermen Near Mumbai

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/10/oil-spills-becoming-frequent-hazard-for-fishermen-near-mumbai/?ref=earth&_r=0

 

Chapter 3(ocean biome)

This article tells a very touching story about a fisherman who can not support his family because the fish and crabs he catch are not edible. The crabs and fish were all floating on the surface of the water and they were stained with a dark blackish brown color from the oil. The oil spills are frequent and in 2010, 800 tons of oil was spilled into the Indian Ocean making it detrimental for all fisherman in the region. Not only are the fisherman affected, but the whole oceanic ecosystem is as well as the people that eat mostly fish because it is cheaper in some areas.

 

I think that the government of India and any countries near the Indian Ocean should set laws that make sure ships are inspected before they leave any harbor because obviously they are doing something wrong if the oil spills are common. I understand that India is a developing country but they still need to inspect boats at all costs because if not, the fisherman and consumers have to lose out on their income. Now the project is to first clean up all of the oil and then forge a plan to prevent the spills from happening.

 

Tarballs- A ball of petroleum that forms because of weathering in the oceans, very potent pollutant.

 



Q1-3

 

Air quality still not good in European cities

http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/46553

 

Chapter 5 (climate)



This article is about the severity of air pollution in Europe. 90 percent of European cities have more than the healthy amount of air pollutants. 98 percent of city dwellers in Europe have been exposed to ozone above the WHO guidelines. The exposure to all of these pollutants increases chance of cardiovascular disease and breathing problems, the length of life can even be shortened if nothing is done to bring down harmful emissions.

 

I  think that every country in the world needs to act fast to bring down the overall air pollution or else the earth will heat fairly quickly and many lakes and water sources can become contaminated and sensitive organisms will die. Aside from the rest of the world, Europe needs to act even faster because there is already an increased chance in breathing and heart problems because of air pollution. Air pollution in Europe has always been a problem since the 1800's in England

 

EEA- European Environmental Assosiation is in charge of making plans to improve the environment in Europe, need to draft a plan quickly.



Q1-2

 

Biodiversity Action Plan

http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/b/biodiversity_action_plan.htm

 

Chapter 3- (biodiversity)

  This article is about the overview of biodiversity and the status of animals. A BAP is a Biodiversity Action Plan which is a program that helps to protect the existance of many types of species. The point of the plan is to keep the biodiversity up so that ecosystems can be more stable. 188 countries signed the bill to help keep biodiversity constant but only a few actually developed a plan to help the environment. Conservation status is the severity of how little of a species there are.  Biodiversity hot spots are still thriving with biodiversity and they are very stable environments, usually away from civilization.

I think that all of the 188 countries need to follow through with their plans to maintain biodiversity in the environment. Once the 188 countries all achieve their plans and goals, then the remaining countries can follow the band wagon and maybe even get a small incentive such a money incentive. I think that if we want to keep this world going for as long as possible we need to take biodiversity strictly and we are making good steps toward keeping biodiversity stable but we aren't quite there yet.

 

Seedbank- A place where seeds are stored in the case of all of the normal seeds die



Q1-1

 

 

 

World Ocean Systems Undermined by Climate Change by 2100

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131015191401.htm

Chapter 2- Biomes (Ocean)

This Article deals with a global problem because the whole ocean will be affected by 2100.

The article states that by 2100, every single part of the ocean will be affected by pollution and climate change. The most interesting fact about it is that 470-870 million of the world's poorest people rely on the ocean for food, jobs ,and revenues. By 2100, the CO2 concentration is projected to be up to 900 ppm or parts per million. If the world launches a mitigation effort to help keep the CO2 down, the concentration will only be 550 ppm if we start the efforts soon. Phytoplankton, which are essential for the stability of the oceans are going to diminish up to 10% which means the carbon concentration will increase more and more as there are less photosynthetic organisms.

 

I think that we are running out of time and we need to make an effort to bring CO2 levels down in the oceans. If we don't act quickly, there wont be much of a positive change because it may already be too much of a problem by the time we set a plausible plan to stabilize the oceans.

 

 

Mitigation- The action of reducing the severity and seriousness of something.