ENVR 1301 Jennifer M

  In the last 15 years there has been a lot of debate - and confusion - over the term “clean coal.” What does “clean coal” actually mean? Is it better for the planet, or just as bad as ‘traditional’ coal… and for that matter, what’s the difference? Despite what coal industry leaders would have you believe, “clean coal” is something of a misnomer. There is no such thing as truly “clean coal” in terms of environmental protection, and the term is simply a buzz phrase invented to sway public opinion on how coal affects the planet.   The true difference between “clean coal” and traditional coal mining is in a practice implemented during the mining process known as carbon capture and storage. In this process, the CO2 emitted during the mining process is recaptured and sent via a pipeline down into the earth for storage, to prevent it from being released into the atmosphere (Grossman). Usually the locations that are chosen for CO2 relocation are areas that have already been excavated...

  Natural Resources Concept Map, made by Jennifer Mouser using Text2Map, https://tobloef.com/text2mindmap/, click to enlarge Natural resources are things found on Earth that humans use to survive, ranging from the food we eat for energy, to wood we burn in a fireplace to stay warm in the winter. Natural resources are essential to life on Earth, without them life could not exist. There are two main categories of resources: renewable, which can be quickly replaced by natural processes (such as wind and sunlight), and nonrenewable resources, that are exhaustible and cannot be readily replaced by natural processes (such as fossil fuels and minerals).  Although nonrenewable resources cannot be readily replaced, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the amounts that are used. As mentioned in the Exploring Natural Resources video, some companies, particularly car companies, are opting to use lighter, reusable materials in their manufacturing processes that are less taxing...

Country: Afghanistan Birth rate: 32 Births per 1,000 population (in millions) Death rate: 6 per 1,000 population (in millions) Population growth rate (rate of natural increase): 2.6% Life expectancy for males and females: Males: 64, Females: 67 Fertility rate (average number of children per childbearing-aged female): 4.3 Gross National Income (GNI): 2,110 Population per square km of arable land: 511 Urban population: 24% Land mass: 252,071 mi² Percent of births to mothers ages 15-19: 11% Percent of births to mothers ages 35+: 14%  Country: Singapore Birth rate: 9 per 1,000 population (in millions) Death rate: 5 per 1,000 population (in millions) Population growth rate (rate of natural increase): 0.3% Life expectancy for males and females: Males: 81, Females: 86 Fertility rate (average number of children per childbearing-aged female): 1.1 Gross National Income (GNI): 86,480 Population per square km of arable land: 1,012,152 Urban population: 100% Land mass: 281.3 mi² Percent of birt...

  Concept Map of Energy and Its Forms, created by Jennifer Mouser using Text2MindMap, https://tobloef.com/text2mindmap/ (click to enlarge) Concept Map of Biodiversity, created by Jennifer Mouser using Text2MindMap, https://tobloef.com/text2mindmap/ (click to enlarge) Concept Map of Biomes and Ecozones, created by Jennifer Mouser using Text2MindMap, https://tobloef.com/text2mindmap/ (click to enlarge) Earth's biosphere is composed of many different types of biomes and ecozones, which allow for a great amount of biodiversity, and all of which - and the life forms within - use energy to live and work. The interconnectivity of the three concepts represented in the concept maps above (energy and its forms, biodiversity, and biomes and ecozones) can be seen all across the world in countless different examples which are easy to see once you understand the concepts. To better understand the concepts outlined above, we can look at a specific example. The Edwards Plateau is an...

 SAWS Bill Water Usage Totals August - 4489 gallons July - 5985 gallons June - 5985 gallons 16459 gallons total  5486 average gallons per month 1371 average gallons per person per month  45 gallons per person per day  “Your Water Footprint”  Water Footprint Calculator https://www.watercalculator.org/wfc2/complete/ Personal: 1,391 Gallons/Day Household: 5,565Gallons/Day US Average: 1,802 Gallons/Day Per day per person: 46 gallons “Water Use Calculator”  Southwest Florida Water Use Management https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/water-use-calculator Daily: 216 gallons Weekly: 1,512 gallons Monthly: 6,048 gallons Yearly: 78,624 gallons Per day per person: 50 According to twdb.texas.gov, the average daily home water usage in Texas is 89 gallons per person per day. Going by this number, it seems we are below the average usage. I do water around my foundation, however, I tend to let my grass in the rest of my yard suffer. I know that 89 gallon number is pr...

Shrinking Lake Chad   Original Photo of Lake Chad circa 1973 Lake Chad in 1973, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2065 (Jones, 2023) Second Photo of Lake Chad circa 1987 Lake Chad in 1987, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2065 (Jones, 2023) Google Earth View 2023 (Google Earth, 6/2023) Lake Chad, Chad, Africa, 1973 - present Problem  Previously the sixth largest lake in the world (earthkam.org), Lake Chad has shrunk dramatically since the 1960’s to a tenth of its size and a fraction of its depth. The continual decline of Lake Chad has dire implications for the tens of millions of people and countless animals that rely on it to live; from less drinking water and water for food crops and farm animals, to potentially diminishing biodiversity in and around the lake, the effects are numerous and don’t appear to be improving in spite of efforts to replenish the lake. ...

1. Point of View (Interpret the video’s frame of reference, perspective, orientation.) The video’s frame of reference is that of someone or a group of people who live in Ohio and lived through seeing the river burning and the consequences associated with that. The video also goes on to show the frame of reference for the restoration of the river and the associated benefits. At the beginning of the video it is mainly highlighting how dire the situation was and that they had reached a critical juncture in terms of how the river was being used as a dumping ground for industrial waste. Toward the end of the video the tone is much more hopeful; it shows the benefits of taking care of natural resources and responsibly utilizing them for economic gain.  2. Purpose (Infer the purpose/goal, objective(s) of the video.) The purpose of the video is to educate people who were not aware of the Cuyahoga river fire on the particulars of what happened (when, where, how, why) and how the surrounding...