Top 6 Environmental Issues

Since around the 1970s, we have made great progress on the environmental front. Federal and state laws have led to greatly reduced air and water pollution. The Endangered Species Act has had notable successes protecting our most threatened biodiversity. Much work has to be done, however, and below is my list of the top environmental issues we are facing now in the United States. Climate Change While climate change has effects that vary by location, everyone is feeling it one way or another. Most ecosystems can probably adjust to climate change up to a point, but other stressors (like the other issues mentioned here) limit this adaptation ability, especially in places that have lost a number of species already. Particularly sensitive are mountain tops, prairie potholes, the Arctic, and coral reefs. I argue that climate change is the number one issue right now, as we all feel the more frequent extreme weather events, the earlier spring, melting ice, and rising seas. These changes will continue to get stronger, negatively affecting the ecosystems we and the rest of biodiversity rely on. Land Use Natural spaces provide habitat for wildlife, space for forests to produce oxygen, and wetlands to clean our freshwater. It allows us to hike, climb, hunt, fish, and camp. Natural spaces are also a finite resource. We continue to use land inefficiently, turning natural spaces into cornfields, natural gas fields, wind farms, roads, and subdivisions. Inappropriate or nonexistent land use planning continues to result in suburban sprawl supporting low-density housing. These changes in land use fragment the landscape, squeeze out wildlife, put valuable property right into wildfire-prone areas, and upset atmospheric carbon budgets. Energy Extraction and Transportation New technologies, higher energy prices, and a permissive regulatory environment have allowed in recent years for a significant expansion of energy development in North America. The development of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has created a boom in natural gas extraction in the northeast, particularly in the Marcellus and Utica shale deposits. This new expertise in shale drilling is also applied to shale oil reserves, for example in the Bakken formation of North Dakota. Similarly, tar sands in Canada have been exploited at much-accelerated rates in the last decade. All these fossil fuels have to be transported to refineries and markets through pipelines and over roads and rails. The extraction and transportation of fossil fuels imply environmental risks such as groundwater pollution, spills, and greenhouse gas emissions. The drill pads, pipelines, and mines fragment the landscape (see Land Use above), cutting up wildlife habitat. Renewable energies like wind and solar a re also booming and they have their own environmental issues, particularly when it comes to positioning these structures on the landscape. Improper placement can lead to significant mortality events for bats and birds, for example.  Ã‚   Chemical Pollution A very large number of synthetic chemicals enter our air, soil, and waterways. Major contributors are agriculture byproducts, industrial operations, and household chemicals. We know very little about the effects of thousands of these chemicals, let alone about their interactions. Of particular concern are endocrine disruptors. These chemicals come in a wide variety of sources, including pesticides, the breakdown of plastics, fire retardants. Endocrine disruptors interact with the endocrine system that regulates hormones in animals, including humans, causing a wide array of reproductive and developmental effects. Invasive Species Plant or animal species introduced to a new area are called non-native, or exotic, and when they rapidly colonize new areas, they are considered invasive. The prevalence of invasive species is correlated with our global trading activities: to more, we move cargo across the oceans, and we ourselves travel overseas, the more we carry back unwanted hitchhikers. From the multitude of plants and animals we bring over, many become invasive. Some can transform our forests (for example, the Asian longhorned beetle), or destroy urban trees that have been cooling our cities in the summer (like the emerald ash borer). The spiny water fleas, zebra mussels, Eurasian water-milfoil, and Asian carp disrupt our freshwater ecosystems, and countless weeds cost us billions in lost agricultural production. Environmental Justice While this one is not an environmental issue in itself, environmental justice dictates who feels these issues the most. Environmental justice is concerned with providing everyone, regardless of race, origin, or income, the ability to enjoy a healthy environment. We have a long history of unequal distribution of the burden posed by deteriorating environmental conditions. For a multitude of reasons, some groups are more likely than others to be in close proximity to a waste disposal facility, breathe polluted air, or be living on contaminated soil. In addition, fines levied for environmental law violations tend to be much less severe when the injured party is from minority groups.

Cause and Effect Essay on Eating Disorders - 1551 Words

The distinctions between eating disorders can be complex. While anorexia and bulimia may have some issues in common, other factors make them distinct. For parents, trying to understand the differences can be crucial. Early detection and proper treatment significantly improve the chances for a child to recover. Bulimia and anorexia are both very dangerous, and can be life threatening. Both are very common among teens and young adults. Eating disorders are becoming more familiar for this generation to feel accepted and in this society. Anorexia Nervosa is a prolonged disorder of eating due to loss of appetite. This disorder affects many women and a few men, some of whom go undiagnosed for years. Early diagnosis and treatment can†¦show more content†¦This is her story. When I was younger I thought women were supposed to be thin. It was probably because I was obsessed with princesses, Barbie dolls and my Mom; all of whom were slim. I was always quite skinny, so I didnt really worry about my body in a big way until I was a teenager. Thats when I got a lot curvier, and I thought it was the most terrible thing. I think my problem with body image was part of a bigger issue to do with low self-esteem. It doesnt help that our society is so preoccupied with weight loss and dieting. The real problems started when I decided to go on a diet in a bid to feel better about myself. Like a lot of people who develop eating disorders, Im a perfectionist, so the diet soon turned into a total obsession. I became completely obsessed with numbers and would spend all of my time calculating calories and grams of fat. Even when I was in lessons at school or having conversations with people Id be frantically working out how much I could eat, how much weight I could lose, and over what period of time. Id do the same sums repeatedly just in case I was getting them wrong. Id re-read nutrition labels that I knew off by heart, just in case food companies had introduced more calories. It completely took over my life and Id weigh myself several times a day. What I weighed completely dictated how I felt about my whole life. I used the scales not just to establish my weight, but also for measuring my self-worth. Quite early on myShow MoreRelatedEating Disorders and the Media941 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, â€Å"the body type portrayed in advertising as the ideals is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females.à ¢â‚¬  (â€Å"ANAD†) Body image has been a controversial theme because of the influence of the media. It is a widely known fact that eating disorder cases are on the rise. The concept of body image is a subjective matter. The common phrase, â€Å"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder,† holds true meaning in this sense. One’sRead MoreThe Globalization Of Eating Disorders963 Words   |  4 PagesSoundness in the Globalization of Eating Disorders In her essay, â€Å"The Globalization of Eating Disorders,† Susan Bordo informs her audience of the growing trends in eating disorders. Through her argument, Bordo illustrates the cruel identity of body-image distortion syndrome while she searches for a solution to the eating-disorder problem by looking to its birthplace in culture. Making use of several examples and scenarios, facts and statistics, and appeals to pathos and logos to construct her argumentRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article The Globalization Of Eating Disorders 854 Words   |  4 Pages Eating Disorders In the essay â€Å"The Globalization of Eating Disorders† by Susan Bordo speaks about eating disorders. In society today appearance is a huge factor. Even though appearance has always been a major thing but now day’s people take it to the extreme when trying to have a certain body image. 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The Health Care System As A Whole - 951 Words

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Youve Got Mail and Shop Around the Corner free essay sample

A comparison of the two movies, Youve Got Mail and Shop Around the Corner, which are the original and remake of the same cinematic plot. This paper conducts a semiotic analysis of the two movies, Youve Got Mail and Shop Around the Corner. The author finds that the main plots movies are similar, but there are important differences wit in the cinematography, themes and characterization. The paper highlights the differences and then proves why the older version was far more appealing than the newer one. Youve Got Mail is the remake of 1940 classic Shop Around the Corner. While the main plot is the same there are certain semiotic differences, which should be studied closely in order to see which version is the better one. I have seen both movies and liked the original version better not only because of it being a classic but also because there are certain important features which puts the older version a lot more above the 1990s remake. We will write a custom essay sample on Youve Got Mail and Shop Around the Corner or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page