Blog 4

Ecosystems and Human Well Being

Humans activities are the main causes of the changes to our Ecosystems. Our overuse of resources such as fresh water, fuel, timber and fiber is degrading our environment at a rapid rate. These degradation is mostly affecting the poor, increasing poverty and illness and it is a significant barrier to achieving the millennium development goals agreed to by the international committee in September 2000. By 2050 global GDP is expected to increase by three to six times its current level and these problems are only going to get worse. 

Changes in agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, water and forestry; more farmland being worked than ever before, coral reefs being depleted, more water impounded in dams, all these due to increase in population and more reactive nitrogen found among the environment are causing the degradation of our environment and changing the ecosystem. 

To achieve a sustainable future, we need to make changes in government, economics, technology, social behaviour, and knowledge according to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Although some institutions are trying to decrease the degradation of our environment, factors like lack of public awareness, weak human and institutional capacity and under-investment in the regulation and management of ecosystem services hinders the implementation of successful strategies. We need to live in a way that is more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Critical Thinking 

The damage to ecosystems affects human well-being in different ways. When we damage the ecosystem, we damage the environment and in turn damage ourselves. The earth`s natural resources, if depleted takes longer time to replenish; with the increase in demand and decrease in supply of these natural resources our ecosystem is been harmed and the well being of humans is been harmed. 

Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment
In this article, Sandra Steingraber tells of cancer and its history in her family (adopted), even though there is no history of cancer in her biological family. As a young girl, she wanted to find out why she could inherit cancer when it was not in her biological family. Her story shows that cancer can be inherited as well as caused by mutations by carcinogens in the environment. Carcinogens like aromatic amines are found in dyes for cloth, leather, and paper.

Sandra Steingraber said that all of these chemicals are finding their way into the human body through our interaction with chemical substances. We know more about the hereditary causes of cancer and less of the environmental causes because cancer research is focused on hereditary cancers which make up only about 10 percent of known cancers. Cancer research need to focused more on environmental factors that are causing cancer.

Although the carcinogens are no longer produced, they still linger in the environment and in human tissues. We need to stop the use of toxic substances in our environment, unless there is no other way out then we have to use the least toxic substance.

Critical Thinking 

It is very hard to tell whether and how much a chemical is carcinogenic to humans and this is because we are always exposed to different types of chemicals most of which are airborne. It takes many years before the effect of these carcinogens can appear on a person`s body causing them to fall sick, so this also makes it difficult to determine when and to what level of the chemical the person is exposed to. A combination of different chemicals lead to cancer, the cause for one individual may not be the same for the other individual making it difficult to tell whether - and how much - a chemical is carcinogenic to humans.

Our Stolen Future

Starting with a quote from Rachel Carson, "Our fate is connected with the animals", Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, and John Peterson Myers, tells us about the effect of drugs on animals and their relation to humans. All organisms share the same template no matter how evolved humans are, and how far away we are from nature. Organisms are bound to each other by a common ancestor, this means that any damage that has been done to wildlife is a foreshadow to the damage that will be done to humans.

Every organisms has accumulated a store of persistent synthetic chemicals in their body fat, which they are exposed to unnaturally. Most of these synthetic chemicals are said to be harmful to the body and some are not. Scientists carry out tests on both humans and animals,but there is an argument that these tests are based on dangers to humans but tested on animals. One question that is of great concern is, "is it right to test chemicals on animals with high dosses just to determine potential health effect?".

23 of the world’s leading scientists in this field came together at the Wingspread Conference Center in July 1991 to discuss the impacts of hormone mimics and other types of hormone disruptors, they concluded that the same chemicals that affected the development of animals in the environment could also affect human development in the future and that humans in many parts of the world were already being exposed to these chemicals. An increased number of documented cases within the United States already showed genital developmental abnormalities within children, such as undescended testicles, extremely small penises and underdeveloped urethra.

Animals have been greatly affected by high doses of synthetic chemicals because the chemicals show up faster in their bodies as they mature faster than humans. Synthetic chemicals has also disrupted the development and survival of these animals used for lab experiments

The authors concluded by saying that unless we as humans stop or control the use of these chemicals we will begin to face what the animals are going through as well.

Critical Thinking

Cancer is not the only health effect of environmental contaminants that should concern us, there are so many other health effects but it remains one of those that is difficult to treat. Every minute of everyday we are exposed to different types and degrees of chemicals that are potential risk factors to our health, as these chemicals accumulate in our bodies, we develop various health problems that eventually develops into cancer. Therefore, it is important give much attention and also create awareness of cancer to detect potential symptoms at an early stage.

Environmental Justice for All

In this Robert D. Bullard's article, he talked about the environment in respect to the plight of racial minorities and the poor. Where we live, work, play, worship, and school, was added to the idea of ENVIRONMENT in 1991. African Americans have been exposed to harmful substances since the early 1920's  to 1978, they have been living in areas where landfills and incinerators are located. These communities have been fighting environmental racism, environmental  threats like lead smelters, petrochemical plants and dumping of oil laced with toxic PCBs along roadways. 

These environmental  threats sprang up local activists who advocated for a change. In 1991 environmental activists gathered in Washington D.C to bring to the attention to the public the plights of these racial minorities and the poor who were bearing the greater effect of this  pollution problems. Among these activists was the prominent civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. They achieved significant results like the defeat of the plan by Louisiana Energy Services to build potentially harmful nuclear facilities in a predominantly Black rural community. 

The Author concludes by saying that environmental justice can only be achieved through the help of government and when those in the lower income and racial minority communities is given the same protection as affluent suburbs regardless of race or income.

Critical Thinking

Environmental justice, according to the article is the indiscriminate and equitable protection of the people and environment without regard to place, race or income. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. 

Minorities or low-income communities are those in urgent need of environmental justice. If every one on earth has the same rights, then environmental justice should not be given only to the wealthy. Location of landfills, incinerators and dumping of toxic chemicals should not be near low-income and Black communities.

Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services

Biodiversity in the marine environment have drop drastically leading to lower water quality and threat of extinct to species that are still existing. According to the authors, the ocean is more stable and productive when there are rich array of species in it. Over 80 percent of the world’s population lives within one km of the coast and for most of them, their livelihood depend on the ocean. that is to say that if the ocean is healthy then the people are healthy.

Studies have showed that native species of  12 coastal and estuarine ecosystems, are rapid declining since industrialization. The effects of species extinction were measured by looking at the amount of fisheries which collapsed in the last 50 years and the result is that by 2003, 29% of the total fish have collapsed and the total amount of fish yield declined by 13 percent. Areas with rich species decline at a more gradual rate than areas that are less rich in species. 

As the years progressed, humans have taken the issue of fisheries collapse seriously. some areas have become protected reserves. These reserves have showed increase in species diversity by 23%, they also act as tourist sites allowing people the chance to see a specie rich marine. Regions with great diversity could withstand the collapse and proved to recover much faster with exponential increase as the years go by.

There is a positive relationship between the health of a marine system and the diversity of species within it and this has direct impact on humans, mainly because it is our source of food and revenue, therefore, effort must be put in place to increase productivity.

Critical Thinking

Commercial fisheries is in decline because they are in high demand, they are been harvested in wasteful ways and as more of it is been harvested, these fishes become scarce. If demand declines then production or harvesting of these fishes will decline. Because we want more, we have developed new techniques (industrialization) which allow them to catch more of these fishes at once thereby reducing their population. Too many boats or ships chasing too few fishes. Some of these fish species serve as important food sources for sea animals who, unlike humans, have no other food choices. So the removal of a food source for other sea animals collapses the entire ecosystem dynamics of the marine environment. 

Activity
Jeremy Jackson is an ecologist who focused his studies on coral reefs and tropical ecology. As he begins his talk, he showed a black and white photograph of a coral reef from Jamaica that was taken in the 60's, the coral reef had no fish in it. He said industrial fishing is a huge cause of over fishing and this is because larger nets, more hooks, and larger boats that can carry more fish are been used. This type of industrial fishing is destroying habitats for all sea species.

He said people are paying more today than they did before for fishes. Fishes used to be larger in the past but due to the high amounts of fishing going on in the ocean the fishes do not have the chance to grow as big as they used to. Sport fishing, pollution and climate change has contributed to the depletion of fish species and the wrecking of the ocean. Mercury and plastics creates pollution in the ocean as they are being deposited into water bodies.

Caulerpa taxifolia in the north-western Mediterranean sea was an example he gave of biological pollution; introducing new species into an area and release of excessive nutrients into the water. These nutrients causes excessive growth of these species that now outgrow the main species in that area, using up oxygen which leads to growth of algae which has a devastating effect on the ocean.

What is even more alarming according to him is that all these effects combine through the amplified positive feedback mechanism to produce largely accelerated negative outcomes like the overall decrease of nutrients in the oceans and the eventual loss of biodiversity. We humans are the main problem, to restore balance to the ocean, we need to fix ourselves.

Reflection

I promote sustainability and happiness by understanding that my environment should be treated the same way i want to be treated. I want my children (future generation) to enjoy the natural resources so i try not to waste water, I use the bus for longer distance and walk for shorter distance. By reusing or wasting little, buying only things I need and buying products that are environmentally friendly, i promote sustainability in my life.

Dalai Lama XIV said “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions”,so i try to do things that make me happy. eating good food, drinking lots of water, playing games, going to the gym, walking in the park in summer, volunteering, staying with family, hanging out with friends and most importantly having my alone time. Having my alone time, gives me the opportunity to reflect on my actions for the day, encouraging and uplifting myself.

I would like to tell more people about the benefit of incorporating healthy lifestyle in their daily living. I would say living a healthy lifestyle is contagious. If i recycle and compost all my waste, buy my food from local farmers, engage in daily exercise, share my equipment with my neighbours (rakes, lawn mower) and do things that makes me happy, my family and neighbours can learn from me 

I pledge to have fewer children, to reduce the growth rate of the world`s population, to use less water; use only as much water as i need, and avoid doing anything to endanger water supplies and different animal species, to eat responsibly especially locally grown food and less meat to reduce the killing of animals and increase of growth of grain to feed the world`s population.

References

West, Larry. The Five Most Important Things You Can Do for the Environment.  About.com:  Environmental Issues, n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2014 http://environment.about.com/od/activismvolunteering/a/5_important_environmental_actions.htm

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. N.p. n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/basics/ejbackground.html

Easton, Thomas A. Sources Environmental Studies. Fourth ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2012. 41-152. Print.