Blog 2- October 23

What is the Purpose of Nature?

The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis

Summary: The section of the texts demonstrates the way that humans ignorantly abuse nature. We cut down trees and entire forests, we allow the development of pastures in which cattle over graze, we waste immense amounts of water through irrigation. Us as humans make changes that in turn effect the nature around us, that we do not even realize that we are affecting. Technology and science are great developments among humans but are almost always detrimental to our environment. We treat ourselves as the dominant species without realizing that our contribution to the destruction to the environment will eventually be our own demise as we are apart of a system; one cannot exist without the other. This section of the text also discusses how Christianity is a harmful religion in regards to the environment and in many ways encourages man to exploit our available resources. 

The purpose of nature is not what we make of it. We have made nature into something we can steal from without any means of replenishment, something we can exploit and use to our advantage and to its disadvantage. Nature should be cherished, used only for what we absolutely require from it and no more. What we take should ultimately be replenished, not by some greater being that ourselves, but by the individual. What you use, you put back. What we have done to our environment over the years cannot be undone, we've abused this earth to a point of no return unless drastic changes can be made almost immediately and even then it will not ever return to its natural state. We need to being working with nature instead of constantly working against it. The true purpose of nature is to be, grow wild, and flourish while we thrive along side it not against it.

What is the basic lesson of Aldo Leopold's "Thinking Like a Mountain"?

A Sand County Almanac excerpt

Summary: A Sand County Almanac and Thinking Like a Mountain illustrate an interactive story which allows us to realize our true role in nature and how each subgroup of nature be it animals, plants and humans have such a great impact and reliance on one another. It demonstrates our power as humans and how we need to use that power and our knowledge combined to help our ecosystems rather than harm them. Take what we need and no more to allow the natural actions of nature take and live our their courses to provide a sustainable environment. It is also an inside look to one man's experience and how he learned a valuable lesson about nature and its over all system of well being

The basic lesson of of "Thinking Like a Mountain" is that one intricate part of the system is not able to thrive without the others. When we become ignorant of our power and abuse that power to eliminate what we see to be a nuisance we are ignoring the fact that we are a part of a bigger system, one thing cannot be without the other. The lesson is just that, to "Think Like a Mountain". In doing so we set ourselves a side and look at the bigger picture, without taking action until we see all that is there and all that can be effected. We take a bigger stance and hopefully start to understand that all that we see relies on each and every aspect of nature and that a simple imbalance can throw us off course.

Given that projections of global climate change are not certain, should we act now? If not, how long should we wait?

Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis

Summary: This section of the text discusses the driving forces behind climate change, emphasizing fossil fuel use as a key contributor of carbon dioxide emissions, nitrous oxide increases due to agriculture, and methane as big factors contributing to the harm of our planet. Changes caused by increased greenhouse gasses and emissions have made for an increase in global temperature, sea level rise, the fast melting of glaciers, snow and ice, unusual weather patterns such as heat waves followed by heavier than usual precipitation patterns and more. This reading demonstrates our increased and increasing knowledge of the effects of climate change as well as the increased negative human impact on this phenomenon. It also provides us with projections and estimates of natural and human impacts as we go into the future.

Should we act now or how long should we wait? To me the answer is obvious. Why wait until something so precious and irreplaceable is destroyed before we take action? Acting now is truly our only option and frankly, our only hope in keeping our beloved planet intact for future generations. We simply cannot afford to sit back while such harmful effects are taking place. Prevention is always easier than recovering from the aftermath. Unfortunately I am not sure how long it will take human beings to realize what needs to be done. I can only hope that this realization happens before its too late and we are among the aftermath of our actions.

Over the years, society has spend enormous amounts of money to build the current energy system. Why does this make it difficult to change to a new energy system?

A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030

Summary: This section of the text provides us with alternative eco-friendly ways of achieving the amounts of energy we need to power this earth, sets out a timeline in which it would be possible to make the change, discusses the amount of energy required to adequately power the lives of citizens world wide as our population increases in number, how much the change itself would cost and how the new technologies themselves would have a near  zero emissions rate over their life cycle. While this new system is completely achievable it is completely in the hands of our higher up governments to ultimately commit to the system and their willingness to invest in such a drastic change in benefit of our precious planet.

The amount of money we have put into our current energy system makes it difficult for society to change to a new system for the following reasons: We simply do not like change. Without being forced to, we don't want to. The way we've been doing it for so long is what we know and it's easier to stick with what we know than to consider an alternative. We have invested so much money in regards to the way we supply our own energy and we know that it works. It is difficult for us to accept such a big change and another great investment when what we are currently doing is not broken and in the eyes of many, is not going anywhere. What truly needs to be considered is if we continue burning coal, using fossil fuels, natural gas, etcetera and contribute to climate change, there will no longer be a safe earth to live on. We will run out of these finite methods of powering our lives and what will we do then? We will be scrambling wishing we had committed to a change when it was more feasible and not so dire.

Activity

Consider your reliance on fossil fuels. Are you comfortable with your level of dependence? Do you feel that this is sustainable for the next 10 years? Are there steps you would like to take to reduce this reliance?

I personally am uncomfortable with my level of dependence on fossil fuels; not because I believe that I am a heavy consumer but because I am reliant on this resource while understanding that one day, certainly within my life span, we will not have this resource to fall back on. This also answers the question of whether or not I feel that this way of life will be sustainable for the next 10 years; it is not. While I do my best to limit my consumption, car pool any chance I can, walk to school each day and truly considered the environment when purchasing a more fuel efficient car, it is simply not enough when discussing sustainability and the future of fossil fuels. While I feel like I am doing all that is possible right now for my position, being a student and having to travel quite some distance whether it is to go back home to visit family now and again or making trips to the grocery store every other week, I would very much like to reduce my fossil fuel reliance. I wish to do so in the future by giving my input to the city of Winnipeg in regards to their fuel consumption in running city transit and starting the discussion in investing in eco-friendly, perhaps electric run buses like I have seen in Montreal. In the future I would also love to own an electric car, myself. I would absolutely love to be apart of a small individual change as well as a larger change that would better this busy city.

In-class Blog Questions

1) In class we were introduced to the national park of Wapusk. While discussing whether or not it would be possible to allow the public access to this beautiful national environment I immediately came to the conclusion that it would not be possible to maintain not only the beauty that the national park has to offer but also the homes of the thriving wildlife. A dual mandate unfortunately cannot be met. This precious national park houses many species including but not nearly limited to fox, polar bear, caribou and over a thousand species of plants that are miraculously able to survive the harsh season changes of the north.1 While it is a blessing to be able to visit national and provincial parks across Canada, I have yet to experience a park that has not been negatively impacted by the presence of humans. The infrastructure introduced to allow the access such as roads, buildings for safety and housing, the pollution introduced by vehicles and machinery required to build and provide tours as well as noise pollution are all detrimental to the natural environment and to the wildlife who naturally occupy that environment. Not to mention the precautions that would need to be put in place to protect visitors such as fences which disrupt plant species, migration patterns of animals, feeding, breeding and natural behaviours. To put it simply, the closer we get the further we push the wildlife away. I have realized through my experiences with nature, in particular experiences with Parks Canada, is that humans and natural do not go together. The more humans are introduced to a natural environment, the more we tamper with it making it no longer natural. Public access to this park would bring it to its knees. The only way to keep this National Park safe from human destruction is to maintain Parks' current actions. This includes allowing access for small, non invasive research groups who have the well being of Wapusk in mind and NOT allowing any public access. Perhaps the installation of a live feed camera could be considered which would allow the public non invasive access to the park so they too could experience the beauty of the wildlife during migration and the unique seasonal changes that Wapusk has to offer. Any more access than this would cause too much disruption. 

                                         

"This is the UN's Globally Harmonized System sign for carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, respiratory sensitizers and substances with target organ toxicity." 2

2) Over the past few weeks the focus of the class has been the Alberta Tar Sands. This is a topic that is discussed on a regular basis not only in class but on the news. There are many issues surrounding the Alberta Tar Sands, the most focused on point is it's effects on the Canadian economy. However, there are much more concerning topics that need to be addressed when it comes to the Tar Sands, such as its effects on the environment and the surrounding communities. The topic most emphasized in the class were the effects on the health of those on the Fort Chipewan first nation, downstream from the Tar Sands. This discussion particularly hit home for me because of their increased risk of cancer, as I was recently diagnosed with cancer that had a high probability of being caused by external factors such as chemicals and pollutants. This really got me thinking about the risks of drilling for oil and the carcinogens and pollutants we are releasing into the environment and how this communities proximity to the Tar Sands is not only dangerous but terrifying. I can only hope that the Alberta Tar Sands and the Alberta government will compensate those effected negatively, health wise, from the Tar Sands by relocating the people living downstream and aiding in any possible way with making them comfortable and providing comprehensive health care. They did not choose the Tar Sands, they should not have to pay in any way, shape or form for the damage done.

The future I would like to see for the Tar Sands is that they do not make any further developments. Understanding that the Tar Sands have an immense contribution to the Canadian economy and house many jobs for Canadians I would hope that they would not cease drilling for those reasons alone. However, I would hope that we would not explore any further for oil. Finish what we've started, but take no more than what we have already found. Once our already drilled land dries up, I would wish that, that would be the end of the Tar Sands and that we could begin to rebuild, regrow and salvage what is left the land that has already been destroyed and contaminated. It is not possible to take this environment and turn it back to what is was before the Tar Sands but repairing some of the damage would be a good start. 

Footnotes
1. Canada, Parks. "Common Menu Bar Links." Parks Canada. December 21, 2012. Accessed October 21, 2015. http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/mb/wapusk/natcul/natcul1d.aspx. 


2."Carcinogen Hazard Symbol." About.com Education. Accessed October 21, 2015. http://chemistry.about.com/od/healthsafety/ig/Laboratory-Safety-Signs/Carcinogen-Hazard-Symbol.htm#step-heading.