Pale Blue Dot

Although the name of this course is 'Environment and Resource Management', an alternative name could be 'The Art of Preserving the Human Race'. We have looked at the importance of managing resources in such away that is ultimately sustainable for future generations. In the majority of the situations we have looked at, we are currently not practicing sustainable methods, although there is progress being made, albeit slowly. Why can't we get there any quicker?

The average lifestyle of a person in North America lives a pretty good life. Nonetheless, any suggestion that the average joe give up a portion of the good life in order to help future generations is usually met with fierce opposition. Perhaps this is due to a deep-rooted cynicism of authoritative bodies, and the belief that any relinquished portions of hard-earned livelihood will either end up in greedy pockets, or be ineffectual.

Like Joe Friday says: 'Just the facts, ma'am'. The media transmits a tremendous amount of information, but sifting through the opinions, rhetoric, bias, and just plain misinformation for reliable facts is very difficult. Making good choices and actions depends on your ability to discern the facts.

But ultimately, we really don't know what the future holds, because... well, its the future!

In many martial arts, coloured belts (a relatively modern idea, actually) determines rank and skill. Often, the black belt is considered the highest and most coveted rank. In fact, people who reach this level are considered to have really only begun learning! So consider yourselves black belts in environmental stewardship! Have you reached the pinnacle? Hardly, grasshoppers... you've only just begun.

Please feel free to make one last post. Has this course changed the way you view your actions on the environment? Any general thoughts and/or suggestions for the course would be appreciated!

Cheers!
Mr. Holmes

Taking the Lead on Lead

The metal lead is an element. That means that the particles that make up lead are atoms, which cannot be chemically broken apart. It is soft, heavy, and malleable. If you cut a piece, it looks bluish white, but it quickly combines with oxygen in the air to form lead oxide. It doesn't conduct electricity all that well, but it is highly resistant to corrosion, so you can use it as a container for acids. The symbol for lead is Pb, which stands for plumbum, which is the latin name. It used to be used for pipes to carry water, most famously way back in Rome. This explains the origins of words like plumber, and plumb line.

It is also a potent neurotoxin. But that wasn't always known. In the 1920's lead was added to gasoline to reduce engine knocking. Lead was also found in paint. But as the realization that lead was both damaging to the environment, and toxic to humans, it has been almost completely phased out of use in gasolines and paints in North America.

So why then are both the Public and Catholic school boards for the Thames Valley area (that includes Parkhill) now checking the drinking water at all schools for lead? What are the effects of lead on the human body? Should Londoners be concerned about this problem? Who could be affected the most by this? Do some research into this recent problem that has been highlighted in the media of late, and post your findings on your blog!

Odd Guy Out - Introducing New Species

In episode 16, season 6 of the Simpsons, ("Bart vs. Australia"), Bart brings his pet toad to Australia. As the dysfunctional family escapes the grasp of the angry Australians, they happily note the destruction caused by the massively reproducing toad on the Australian ecology (which is quickly followed by a quick view of an ominous koala bear attached to the exterior of the plane).

This is actually a reference to the introduction of the cane toad to Australia. Introducing a new species into an ecosystem that has never seen the likes of its kind can be disasterous. This is because there are often no predators to keep populations in check. Also, the new species can rapidly consume and/or alter the biotic and abiotic resources of the ecosystem if they are suitable.

A closer to home example is the Emerald Ash Borer. In June, 2002, it was discovered in Canton, Michigan. The normal range of the ash borer is eastern Russia and northern China. It is believed the beetle managed to hitch hike its way over on a shipment of contanimated wood. The beetle is so named because it likes to 'bore' into ash trees to lay its eggs, and its emerald in colour. How about that, an animal named for what it looks like!

The beetle has devastated ash trees in Michigan, and recently it has been found in London. The City of London website has hosted a faq that answers many questions you might have about how bad it is, and what they're doing about it.

Research and find 3 other examples of accidentally (or purposely) introduced species in North America that have had a negative effect on the environment. Explain in your blog how they have affected the ecosystem they were introduced to and explain any efforts on the part of humans on how they have attempted to control the introduced species.

What is SFM?

Well, we all know what sustainability is. And we know that forests are one of Canada's most important resources. But the use of forests generally means cutting them down because wood is a commodity, thus proving the old adage wrong that money doesn't grow on trees. In fact, growing trees equals more money.
But trees don't exactly grow fast. And forests have social and economic values besides harvesting wood. And despite the fact that trees are renewable, they can be overharvested. So shouldn't we be careful with how much we cut down? Shouldn't we take steps to ensure that trees are replaced as quickly as possible?

Sustainable Forestry Management, or SFM, is the principle behind just that. Is Canada practicing SFM? According to a recent report (19 July 2005), perhaps not.

This report is written on the topic of SFM in Canada and is an extremely informative article that compares the perspective of SFM from the government and from non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Read through the report, and summarize briefly whether you think Canada is already on track, or whether we need to get in the game.

Mmmmm... genetically modified... /drool

As with many of the topics dealt with in the environmental sciences, people feel very strongly about the topic. Food is definitely at the top of the list (or bottom, if you're Abraham Maslow), and when people start monkeying around with what we eat, well, emotions tend to run a little high.

Combine a natural sense of precaution with a healthy dose of politics, and you have something of a sense of what's going on in Europe. Currently in Europe, if any food contains genetically modified food, it legally must be labelled to let the consumer know (sort of). Its not just a fear of something bad in the food, either. The idea that agriculture is slowly being taken over by faceless corporations is also a fear that has gripped many advocacy groups that are firmly against genetically modified foods, and any advantages they might offer. And now the debate is making its way into Canada slowly but surely.

Books are being written on the subject. Blogs are created solely to bring you the latest news on GMOs. And in Canada, the debate has even hit the courts where Monsanto Canada, Inc. has sued a farmer for collecting and using round-up ready canola seeds.

So what do YOU think? Should we be labelling our food here in Canada to let us, the consumers, know whether our food contains any 'frankenfoods'? State your opinion, and reference your blog with links to a minimum of 4 sites to support your opinion. Discuss at least one specific genetically modified food in your argument.

What can YOU do?

So, we've spent this unit discussing the atmosphere as a resource, and some of the problems associated with our use of it as a dumping ground for our various activities.

The Kyoto protocol is an international agreement towards reducing GHG emissions, but the point was made during the debate that each country's goals are just that: GOALS. Kyoto leaves it up to each country the process by which they meet their goals, whether through actual reduction of GHGs, or through the purchase of emission credits.

But what can WE do? How can we as individuals make an impact on GHG emissions? Although we are each responsible on average for emitting only about 5 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, can't we reduce this at all?

Research as many ways as possible people can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by modifying their personal lives. Consider not just your own actions, but the actions of people around you... your friends, relatives, co-workers, and so on.

Ozone Hole Causes Global Warming!?

Waaaaay back in August, 2006 (ok, it wasn't that long ago, but sometimes it seems like a long time ago), David Suzuki himself wrote an article that you can find on enn.com, or you can just click here.

In the article, David (I like to think that if I met Mr. Suzuki, we could be on a first name basis) waxes philosophic on the purpose of focus groups, and in particular, one focus group that investigates how well the public understands global warming and climate change.

So how well do you know climate change? Is your understanding on par, above, or below the average joe? Check it out!

p.s. this is not for a blog entry, but for your own interest.

p.p.s No, Emerson, I'm not going to use the Suzuki picture you'd like me to use.

Your Footprint

"Out of sight, out of mind" goes the old saying, and we know that it is largely true. Of course, we have friendly reminders, like grandparents who remind you that there are children starving in Ethiopia, so clean your plate young man!

On a grander scale, though, the old adage still holds true. Cities can take up a lot of space, and you can fit a lot of people in them, but the ecological impact of all those people is hardly limited to the geographical boundaries of that city.

Even your own household. What must we think when we are kids and we throw garbage away? Where does it go? For all intents and purposes, once the garbage bag is tossed in the garbage truck and whisked away, it has blinked out of existence altogether. But of course that's not true, and the same goes for the resources we intake, and the wastes we pour out.

The idea of an 'Ecological Footprint' is to try and remember that our households affects the environment far beyond everyday experience.

Go to myfootprint.org, and find out what your ecological footprint is. Then, head over to this website to find out your lifestyle footprint. In your blog, post the results of your footprints so everyone can check it out, and suggest some ways that you might be able to reduce your footprint.

Canadian Carbon Tax

Another tax!?!? Awwwwwwww... :(

Ok, hilarity aside, Canada has been tossing around the idea of a 'Carbon Tax' in the House of Commons, lately. But the Conservatives, and their minister of the environment, the Hon. John Baird are certainly making it clear that they do NOT support a carbon tax! David McGuinty (yes, THAT McGuinty... he's the brother of Ontario premiere Dalton McGuinty) exchanged some words with Mr. Baird, to which he responded:

"We don't sit around the cabinet dreaming up ways to increase taxes," Baird said, taking a shot at McGuinty's brother, Dalton, who is premier of Ontario. "That's certainly more common in the McGuinty family than the Harper cabinet."

Despite what the politicians say, the economists are now weighing on this issue. The Globe and Mail reports that Don Drummond, chief economist of Toronto-Dominion Bank, has released a report that states he believes a well-designed carbon tax is the answer to Canada's pollution woes. But he doesn't just think that a tax should be thrown out there as a disincentive tactic. He states that it should be "revenue neutral", and would shift tax to other areas, rather than just being another money grab by the government.

So what do you think? Is it a good idea? In your blog, make a post that summarizes your opinion of a carbon tax here in Canada and why you think it is a good, or bad idea. Be sure to support your opinion with at least 3 links to other websites!

Parasitic Energy

Let's face it, we take the energy available to us for granted. Although we grumble at the pumps when paying ever increasing prices for gasoline in order to move us around, at the same time, many people spend hours a week on stationary exercise machines, frittering away precious energy in order to burn off the excess energy from the food we consume.

In Hong Kong, one person is doing something about it. By hooking up the gym equipment to a battery, the gym is able to harness the energy produced by its customers in order to power the lights and tv's!

Not only that, but some people have plans to utilize energy produced by people in their everyday lives in creative ways. Devices that capture the energy of a person in their everyday, regular routines has been dubbed 'Parasitic' generators. Pretty cool!

Read all about it here.

A Little TOO ‘Inconvenient’?

Al Gore accepted the oscar during the Academy Awards with a speech that reiterates something he says in his documentary ‘An Inconvenient Truth’: “This is not a political issue, but a moral issue.”

Al Gore has certainly hit the spot light with his crusade to enlighten people about the looming danger of global warming. But not everyone is jumping on the green bandwagon and going out to buy solar panels, hybrid cars, and plant trees as a result of his movie.

The Christian Science Monitor calls ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ a ‘Docuganda’. From the Urban Dictionary:

"A film that uses documentary style to spread propaganda. Usually, docuganda will set out a premise and then attack any skeptics, rather than actually attempt to prove the case. The effect is that you either agree with the premise or you look like a fool. The word was specifically coined to refer to UFO "documentaries," ; such as "In Search Of," which provide anecdotal evidence for a phenomenon, draw a conclusion based on that evidence, and then attack any possible competing conclusions."

But you may argue, is that so wrong? So what if Al Gore’s documentary is one-sided? Sometimes, in order to correct social behaviour, you need to over-emphasize to get people to take action. It certainly seems to be working judging by the cultural influences it is having in North America.

How did ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ (AIT) affect you? Do you accept what it is telling you? Or is there more to the story? What should you believe?

Post on your blog:

1. How did you feel after seeing AIT?
2. Find 2 references that support AIT, and explain how they do (provide links).
3. Find 2 reference that criticize AIT, and explain why they do (provide links).
4. Do you think AIT is a docuganda?
   

Environmental News

Need a good website to find the latest environment and resource related news? The Environmental News Network (er, sorry, its the new Environmental News Network now) posts daily on stories from around the world on environment related topics. It even has a e-newsletter you can subscribe to, and organizes stories into 'channels' based on subject i.e. 'Animals & Ecosystems' or 'Energy & Natural Resources'. This website is an excellent resource for secondary sources when doing research.

One of today's stories for example is how Australia is now switching to a system that no longer allows incandescent light bulbs. The only light bulbs available for people to buy will be compact fluorescent light bulbs. This is an interesting move; Australia's environment minister Malcolm Turnbull states that this should reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 800,000 tonnes by 2012. Despite this, Australia still shows no interest in signing up for the Kyoto protocol.

Did January Seem Warm to You?

Ok,
We all remember December. A 'Green Christmas' was on everyone's lips, and you could argue that the unseasonably warm weather we experienced before holidays was part of the reason that the environment and global warming has 'suddenly' become a major concern to the public.

But didn't all that warm weather suddenly end in January? Didn't we have a return to seasonal temperatures? Didn't temperatures actually go below the seasonal averages?

Perhaps locally it did, but gobally, last January was the warmest on record! This map shows that the greatest temperature anomalies occured mostly in Asia, which contributed to the above average global temperature.

Does this mean global warming is a fact? Perhaps there are other reasons for this warming trend? Read the article in the above link, and post your opinion on global warming. Also, what is the NOAA? And what is this 'Goldilocks Effect'?

Incentives? Where??

We’ve discussed this week the idea that in order to get people to change their lifestyles, they need to be ‘motivated’ using incentives or disincentives. So what incentives does our government currently offer us?

There are quite a few, actually! But the problem is that few people know about them. However, if you go to the following website: www.incentivesandrebates.ca, you can search through a database of all the current programs offered by the government of Ontario designed to help Canadians use more renewable sources, or less non-renewable sources.

1. Search the database for incentives and rebates currently offered in Ontario.

2. Pick 4 incentives that you think are particularly effective.

3. Summarize each program in a blog entry.

4. Explain what you like about each incentive, and what you think is particularly effective about them.

5. Be sure to include links to www.incentivesandrebates.ca, as well as to the incentives you chose so people who read your blog can find them for more information!

In addition, check out this article on how reducing consumption, and going green is starting to become 'trendy'!


Mr. Holmes

First Post

Welcome to Environment and Resource Management. This is a very exciting time to be taking this course, because the environment is a very hot topic in the news these days. It seems global warming is on the tip of everyone's tongue.

The conservative party and the liberal party are currently battling it out in the house of commons over who has the worst record on the environment. The conservatives contend that the liberals talked the talk for 7 years, but never actually walked the walk. The liberals, on the other hand, are accusing the conservatives of never even talking the talk!

Last week, over a 1000 scientists congregated in Paris, France as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and released an extremely grim report last Friday, February 2nd. The report states that we, humans, are very likely responsible for the change in our climate, and that climate change is not occuring due to natural circumstances.

The Kyoto protocol is a mere one year away from the beginning of the end of phase 1. Canada is legally bound by the Kyoto protocol to reduce its greenhouse gas emmissions to less than 6% of what they were in 1990. Instead, we are currently sitting at 27% above 1990 levels. What will be the consequences of this?

A report released in November of 2006 predicted that all marine life in the oceans will collapse to extinction by 2048 due to overfishing, pollution, climate change and habitat loss.

On January 17, 2007, scientists moved the 'Doomsday clock' 2 minutes closer to midnight due to the increase in the use of nuclear fuel by countries around the planet. The idea behind the clock is that when the hand strikes twelve, the end will be upon us... by our own doing.

This course will endeavour to do a few things for you. One, teach you about the resources we use on our planet, their importance, and how we manage them. Second, to get you up on the current issues that are occuring even now as you read this. Third, to maybe.... just maybe... get you to consider your lifestyle choices and how they affect the planet, because after all, we're all in this together.

Mr. Holmes