U.S. is Second Highest for CO2 Emissions

Carbon Dioxide(CO2) is a chemical that exists in natural sources all around the world.  However, the CO2 emissions that are created by burning certain kinds of fuel are very harmful.  These types of fuel that create such awful emissions range from gasoline in our cars to coal in coal burning power plants.  This is a problem because as we are trying to find cheaper and cheaper ways to produce energy for our daily lives coal is the cheapest option.  Coal is also one of the most dangerous options because it emits the most Carbon dioxide.  CO2 emissions from these and other sources are one of the leading causes of global warming.

Photo by Wigwam Jones. Flickr.com

According to Wikipedia.com in 2008 the United States was the second leading contributor to CO2 emissions. The only country with more CO2 emissions was China. Wikipedia also states that China's CO2 emissions in thousands of metric tonnes from the year was 7,031,916 and the United State's was 5,461,014.  Let me put that in perspective for you.  These numbers are in thousands of metric tonnes.  One metric ton is equal to 2,204.62262 pounds.  So if you multiply that big number by 1,000 then multiply your product by the emission numbers given for China and the U.S. you will have the actual amount of CO2 emission for the year.  Now, I'm a math major so I'm used to seeing a lot of numbers but these numbers are a lot for me to wrap my head around.  Consider this; the average male in the United States weighs 191 pounds while the average female weighs 164 pounds.  Now if you go back and think about the numbers for the CO2 emissions and compare them to the average weight of an adult person these numbers should seem outrageously huge.  I'm not going to propose that we should just stop using any form of energy to avoid emitting CO2 because that would not be realistic but I do think that we should cut down on some of the things that we do in order to cut down on these emissions and make our planet safer for all of us.  There are so many small things that we could do that would make the biggest difference.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_weight

Water pollution in Developing Countries

According to recent research we are living in a world of water crises.  An article by Mingcaqian Li of East China University states that recent research shows that many health problems can be traced back insufficient or polluted water resources.  This problem is occurring in multiple countries around the world and it is a very serious problem.  Many of the countries where this water deficiency is taking place are underdeveloped countries.  The countries cannot continue to develop without adequate water supply.  Therefore it is hindering the survival of the people not only because they do not have an adequate amount of clean and safe water but also because the country cannot develop any further to support the population.  There are many reasons why this crises is taking place, ranging from corporate pollution to things as small as individuals throwing out there McDonald's napkin after they've finished their BigMac.  It's absolutely sad that this problem even exists, that we don't care enough about the environment that we live in and the people around us to change our ways.  If we all made small changes to certain things that we do like throwing out a napkin after our fast food lunch this would make a HUGE difference in water quality all over the world.  Kids should be able to swim and play without worrying about getting sick from the water and parents should not have to worry about the water that they are giving their kids to drink.  I believe that each of us can change something about what we do in our daily lives to make the water supply safer and plentiful for everyone.

Photo by Sailsaideira. Flickr.com
Taken in Singapore

Sources:
Li, M. (2011). "Walking on the tightrope" - can water TNC tackle drinking water crisis in developing countries? Asian Social Science, 7(5), 122-131. http://search.proquest.com/docview/866420590?accountid=10017

Disappearing Rain forests

Photo by epha. Flickr.com

It is very sad that one of the world's most beautiful and most diverse ecosystems is disappearing more and more every year.  According to rain-tree.com 14% of the world used to be covered by rain forests.  Now, only 6% of the world is rain forest.  Also according to rain-tree.com experts are saying that the last of the earth's rain forests could be gone in less than 40 years.  To me that is a chilling statistic but it is a reality that we must face.  People are willing to destroy these beautiful parts of the earth because the only value they in the rain forest is the value of the lumber they contain.  However, if rain forest continues a large fraction of the earth's species of plants and animals will die off.  But all of that life is worth destroying as long as we get the lumber right?  I don't believe so. Rain-tree.com puts this into perspective by stating that experts believe that we are losing 137 species of plants, animals and insects every day due to deforestation!  I must be honest.  I had no idea that this was this much of an issue.  I never really thought about it but now that I know these facts all I can do is wonder why we continue to let this happen.  These are beautiful lands containing gorgeous plant life and tons of different animal species and we are just letting them be destroyed.   I believe that we must stand up for these living things that cannot stand up for themselves and put a stop to rain forest deforestation before it is too late and they are all gone.

Sources:
http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm

What are you drinking out of?

This week's blog post is inspired by fast food restaurants.  It is not for their food but rather the cups that they serve their drinks in.  Most fast food places either serve their drinks in paper, Styrofoam, or plastic cups.  I wanted to examine which of these is the cheapest to produce and which is the best for the environment.  This may not seem very interesting to some but considering how often people visit these kinds of restaurants I thought it was worth looking into for our environment's sake.
According to genexe.com plastic is actually the cheapest of these to produce, costing $11.00 for 1000 while Styrofoam costs $25.00  for 1000 and paper cups cost around $80.00 for 1000.  This kind of shocked me because I thought that paper would be the cheapest but I was wrong.  According to genexe.com paper cups(like McDonald's uses) are not only the most costly but they are the worst for the environment.  They result in almost twice as much CO2 emission and energy consumption over Styrofoam and plastic.  Also stated in the genexe.com article, if paper cups have a wax coating on them, which  many of them do, they are not recyclable.  Therefore, paper cups seem to not be the best option environmentally or economically.
Another option, Styrofoam is cheaper to produce and probably more efficient because it is a much better insulator that paper or plastic.  However, genexe.com states that Styrofoam can break into small pieces very easily and these pieces can be hard to breakdown and can be harmful to people and animals because of the chemicals used for it.  In many ways plastic appears to be the best option.  Genexe.com says that this is because most plastics are recyclable and even if they are not they can be used as fillers in other products.  More research will have to be done of course, and I am interested to look further into which choice is best but based on my current research I'd say that plastic is your best bet!

Photo by boutmuet. Flickr.com

Photo by Chapendra. Flickr.com

Sources:
http://www.genexe.com/environment/paper-vs-styrofoam-vs-plastic-cups/

Plastic Bottles, a HUGE problem

As I was searching for a topic to write about for this blog post I found myself looking at the plastic water bottle sitting on my desk.  When I'm drinking from my water bottle I don't really tend to think about the consequences that they hold for the environment.  According to Treehugger.com the US consumes 1500 bottles of water every second!  An even more disturbing fact is that 80% of these bottles used end up in landfills instead of being recycled.  Plastic water bottles are one of the leading causes of pollution because they end up in nature and cannot be naturally broken down.  Even when they do end up in landfills the energy used to break them down and the chemicals that are burned into the atmosphere are not good for the environment.  To me, it is very saddening that this is happening and that we as the American people are so passive about it.  We could take simple steps to reduce the number of water and other plastic bottles being sent into landfills but many of us don't take those few steps.  There are some that do and I commend them for that but for many of us it is not a concern of ours.  The harsh reality is that it should be on our minds because we have to live in this world and every time we carelessly send a plastic bottle to the landfill we are hurting our planet and in turn hurting ourselves.  Each one of us needs to take the responsibility and step up make a difference.  Each and every one of us that decides to make a change is making a huge impact and it will pay off for everyone!

Photo by Basetrack. Flickr.com

Sources:
http://www.treehugger.com/clean-water/the-us-consumes-1500-plastic-water-bottles-every-second-a-fact-by-watershed.html

Bromine's Effect on People

In an earlier blog post I talked about Hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as fracking,  and the lack of regulation on waste water produced by it.  When researching for that post I found that one problem that researchers have linked to "fracking" is that the chemical bromine seems to be finding its way into the environment and into drinking water.  When I found this information it really made me curious about the practice of hydraulic fracturing. So I decided to write about the health and environmental threats that fracking can pose for a research paper.   The results that my research led me to were chilling.  In the liquid state bromine is corrosive to human skin and vapors irritate the eyes and throat.  However, the effects can be much worse.  Bromine can cause malfunctioning of the nervous system and damage to genetic materials.  Inhaling or consuming the chemical bromine can also cause damage to major organs such as the kidneys, lungs and liver.  Also, to add even more negative news, some forms of bromine such as ethylene bromine can even cause cancer!

Now, think of all the ways that this affects us.  Traces of bromine have been found in ground water and in drinking water and these findings are believed to be from hydraulic fracturing.  If bromine is in the ground then traces of it could be found in the grass that cattle eat which eventually turns into the meat that we eat.  This is just one of the many ways that bromine could possibly find its way into the human body.  The threats to human health are endless and I am certain that bromine is not the chemical leaking from the oil wells and into our environment.  There has to be some regulation placed upon this practice or else the results could be disastrous as fracking begins to be used more and more.

Photo by maticulous. Flickr.com

Photo by ithacabarbie. Flickr.com

Other Sources:
http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/br.htm

Electronic Recycling

Now I know that there are a lot of corporations out there that really are not doing their part in helping the environment but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by an article that I read recently about companies taking different actions to encourage recycling of electronics.  I believe that even though many corporations are not doing enough there can be an argument made that some companies really are trying to make a good impact.  I believe they deserve recognition for these efforts.
According to the EPA, electronic waste accounted for 1.5 percent of waste in the United States in 2006.  According to the International Association of Electronic Recyclers, in 2006 15 to 20 percent on Electronic waste was recycled.  This is up from the 10 to 15 percent in 2003.  A lot of this increase is due to corporations like Best Buy and Office Depot instigating programs to help encourage consumers to recycle their old or unwanted electronics.  Best buy started sponsoring drop off events all around the country where people could bring their electronics that they wanted recycled.  Sony offered customers $15 off a new TV purchase is they brought an old on to the store to be recycled.  These are just a couple of the efforts that many customers are making towards higher electronic recycling percentages.  You might be asking, are these companies just doing these things to get better PR?  That could be the case, and for some of them it probably is but the fact of the matter is that no matter what the reason, their actions are making a positive impact. I think we need to take a look at the good that some companies do every now and then instead of just always looking at the bad.

Just one of the many drop off events sponsored by Best Buy.
Photo taken by Maria C- Flickr.com

"Corporations Step up Recycling Efforts"- environmental Leader
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/01/31/corporations-step-up-recycling-efforts/