Chapter 13: The Humanized Environment

Article: US Refuses to Sign Pact to Stem Global Warming

Many wanted to stop the imminent global warming, but the United States refused to sign the Kyoto agreement along with several other treaties that would help the environment so if the United States continues to release ungodly amounts of pollution into the air as they plan on doing then climate change will be unavoidable in the future.

Essay:
Readings: Chapter 13 "The Humanized Environment"
"Population and Natural Resources"
"The Future of Energy" by Douglas Fox

Essay Question: How will the way humanity has treated the environment effect our world in the future? What practices can and or will have to be implemented in the future to reverse the effects of our carelessness?

Since the Industrial Revolution humanity has made thousands of technological advancements which make our lives much easier, but when you take a step back and look at what we have done to our world it makes one question if these so called technological "advancements" were really better or if they were actually a step backwards. In recent years scientists have discovered that the practices we have adopted to make our lives easier are really destroying the planet and the future of our progeny.

One of the practices that has caused an incredible amount of waste and pollution is beef farming and the unequal distribution of protein consumption per capita. Beef farming is one of the most inefficient methods of food production. In order to make 1 kilogram of beef it takes 100,0000 liters of water to produce. In addition to the insane amounts of water it takes to produce just a little beef it also takes an incredible amount of energy.

Cattle consume 16 times more grain than they produce meat. This makes cattle farming one of the most inefficient forms of food production. Cattle farming is not only inefficient, but it is also bad for the environment. Cows produce gasses from their digestive system that contain methane with is a pollutant which contributes to the Green House Effect. In addition to the harmful gasses they emit they also produce tons of Solid Waste. A cow can poop up to 15 times a day and it produces 65 lbs. of manure daily which is 12 tons a year. Many scientists would even say that the gasses cows add to the air are more harmful to the environment than cars, but is there a way to fix this problem? Obviously killing all the worlds cows in an attempt to reduce green houses gasses is not only inhumane, but it is also not practical, however we could reduce cattle farming by limiting the amount of beef Americans consume. The United States is only 5% of the worlds population and yet it consumes one forth of the worlds resources  We consumes 122 killos of meat per capita which is 9 kilos more than the next highest meat consuming country on the list (Cyprus) and 22.4 less kilos than France which is number 10 on the list of the worlds top meat consumers. In the future it may become vital for us to limit meat consumption in certain countries in order to reduce the harmful byproducts that cattle produce and limit reduce the resources we waste by farming them in such large quantities. 

Another reason humans are destroying the environment is because of our ever growing need for oil to support our energy inefficient lifestyle. After a period of time in the 80s where oil prices where cheep President Ronald Reagan withdrew funding for research on renewable energy sources. Oil is by no means a renewable resource. We consume oil 100,000 times faster than the time it took to form. Although with recent technological improvements our machines have gotten more efficient and require less oil to preform, the number of machines and thus the demand for oil has still risen

exponentially. Oil drilling is extremely harmful to the environment. In recent years fracking has become common which is extraordinarily bad for ground water and the surrounding environment. Unfortunately the renewable energy resources we have discovered so far are really not substantially better. If we were to harness all the wind energy in the world it would still only replace around 30 percent of our need for energy. As of right now it appears that our energy in the future will come majorly from solar power, however solar power is very inefficient when it comes to space. Solar panels take up an incredible amount of space in comparison with oil drilling. With our growing need for energy also comes a growing need for space to put these centers for energy production. The fix for this is the fact that solar panels can go on the tops of buildings and in the uninhabited desert. Today the solar power industry is growing by 50% each year and by 2030 it is said that 20% of Americans power will come from solar. This is a bright outlook for the future of energy. If solar power continues to grow in popularity there may just be a chance for us to stop the destruction caused by humanity's thirst for energy. 

Map: I chose to color a map of China because China has recently surpassed the US in CO2 emissions.

Extra Credit Video: Man

This video essentially depicts the destruction man has caused over the years in a short animated film. At first I thought it was a little dramatized, but the more I thought about it I came to the realization that it really isn't too far off from reality. In the video the animated welcome man is shown having complete disregard for his actions and killing many animals and trees for things such as boots, pianos, and coats. Although the video may be a tad dramatized I feel like it does a fairly accurate job of representing how man treats the environment.