Damming Rivers

Should humans continue to construct dams, or not?  What do you feel are the strongest arguments supporting your point of view?


      I think that dams serve many good purposes. They provide recreational areas for boating, skiing, camping, picnics, etc. They also help prevent the loss of lives and property to be caused by flooding. Dams also create reservoirs that supply water for all kinds of purposes. 10% of water used for irrigation is stored behind dams, which creates jobs. It is also a sufficient way for hydroelectric power resources to stay clean. Dams also provide stable inland river transportation systems.
      But, still considering those perks, I don't think (certain) dams should continue being constructed. As for areas like in the Three Gorges Project, there are animals that have very essential and specific habitats. It is nearly impossible for them to become acclimated to new living conditions. If the dam were to be built, the animals, like the Balji Dolphin whose only natural habitat is the Yangtze River, would have to be transported elsewhere, where there are no promises that he nor his peers would adjust and live an average-length life.
      As for the people living near/on the soon-to-be dammed river, they would have to be "transported" also. They would be reimbursed for their houses, that would have to be torn down. It would be the value of their house at the time, but despite this, could make it difficult to buy a new home. The money they were given may not be enough to start over nor pay for a new house in the area they've been moved to.
      Jobs, though some will be created when the dam is built, will also be wiped out. Thousands of farmers not able to receive new land as compensation, would be trained for jobs in cities. But because the relocation numbers are so high, the odds of restoring their livelihoods are low.
      When the houses are destroyed, forests and agricultural lands will also be depleted. This will lead to erosion and sediment build up at the base of the river and reservoir. This could in time lead to increased flooding upstream.

Europe's Cold Snap

The kind of weathering affecting the Colosseum is mechanical and referred to as frost wedging, where water freezes (rain/snow) and expands, which allowed the pieces of the stonework to break off and crumble.

Carbon Dioxide Graph

1. The x-axis represents the years, from 1990-2030 (40 years), that carbon dioxide emission counts have been derived from.
2. Present-day is in the middle: 1990, the past, is on the left and 2030, the future, is on the right.
3. The y-axis represents the carbon dioxide emission counts in million metric tons. It ranges from 0-45,000.
4. The graph was created from data that was gathered in October of 2009 from the Energy Information Administration, EIA. 

Global Warming Facts

Do you believe either of these sets of facts? Why or why not?

I don't necessarily believe either one of these sites, at least not their entire pages. I'm sure they each have valuable facts but because they are both so biased, it's hard to trust them and their information. Also, at least in the first site, there were spelling errors and their vocabulary was unsophisticated. Despite each of the websites having some relevant and honest facts, it was easy to tell they weren't showing all the statistics. They each had a well defined side and stuck to it.

Soil Erosion Threatens to Leave Earth Hungry

Statistics:
1. 75 billion tons of soil are lost to erosion, waterlogging and salination each year.
2. It takes between 200 to 1,000 years to renew 2.5 cm of soil.

Responses:
1. It's hard to imagine that 75 billion tons of good soil are lost each year. It's crazy to think that the factors of erosion: wind, water and salt, are to blame. The amount of lost soil is equivalent to about 12 elephants in their prime. Personally I can't even begin to picture what that would look like. That's a lot of soil! And for farmers and workers to take care of all this land just to have it become useless to them is terrible. I would be incredibly frustrated if that were to happen to me each year.
2. Farmers work really hard to grow and practice agriculture. So when they find a good area of land, they are pleased. But for it to take 200 to 1,000 years to renew only 2.5 cm of soil, they have to have some pretty well-preserved land. They can't afford for anything drastic to happen because they don't have time to renew their ground. You wouldn't think it would take that long for soil to grow healthy again. I think it's safe to say that soil isn't the most resilient natural resource.

Miners

       Explosions in coal mines are caused by rock and gas outbursts, methane ignitions that can set off when there's a build up of loose coal and dust, inadequate ventilation and poor maintenance or functioning of water sprays. But they're also caused by federal safety rules that aren't being followed or poor/nonexistent monitoring systems.

       Families in the United States were compensated for their relatives' deaths with $1.5 million but Chinese families only received (approximately) $1,577 for victims and $105,000 for those whose family members died. Safety conditions in China are much worse, than in the U.S., most likely because they don't care as much about safety. They're more focused on the production in the mines than the safety and health of the workers making the production happen. That's also why they have poorer air conditions than us and they don't strive to prevent the pollution.

Deepwater Horizon disaster

        I think that there are many at fault for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. There's the government, all of the consumers, constructors and supervisors. In my opinion, I think that the consumers and any supervisors are the most responsible. If consumers didn't create such a demand for oil in the first place, workers wouldn't need to go to such extremes to invent and produce a process that would keep; one that would never fail. But I believe that the government should've kept a closer eye on the project and what the workers were really constructing. You also need to keep in mind that they have a lot to supervise and focus on concerning the entire country. When they are unable to concentrate on these jobs though, the supervisors hired are trusted to do their jobs and regulate what is going on. Those in charge should've directed their attention to each step done in the process.

        Consumers should have to cut down on their demands. Acquiring such a large amount of oil is unmanageable and unreasonable. If we all cut back by even a smidge, it'll make a dent. But cutting back on oil and changing to alternate sources of energy like solar panels or windmills, will make a much larger impact. As for the supervisors, I think that this should be a warning to them. They need to realize that anything they do or don't do affects the entire community and in some cases the country. They are responsible for monitoring their work and projects that they are involved in and should know it.