Pollution

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution/

"One of its most significant chemical properties is its ability to dissolve other substances, which makes it easily contaminated, allowing it to dissolve and carry pollutants for long distances."

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability principles and practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, P 141.

     This is one statement that really hit home with me. I did not realize that water is known as the largest chemical dissolver in the world. The reason this means so much to me is because my favorite thing in the whole world is fishing and being on the water.  I did not realize that the water carries the chemicals it breaks down and eventually can contaminate all of the fish and other life forms. It hurts me to see plastic bottles and bag floating in the water when I am out because I know it has huge harmful effects on the marine life. 

"Pollution remediation means stopping and reversing damage to environmental systems caused by pollution." 

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability principles and practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, P 147.

     This is probably the most important statement in this section of the text because it talks about reversing and fixing the problems with pollution. I have personally taken my own measure to reverse pollution. Every time I got out on the boat or even just outside in general, if I see trash, I will pick it up and throw it in the trash can or recycle bin. I really try to go out of my way to make sure I give back to the environment because it is so important to our survival.   

"The most alarming of all man's assaults on the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials."


Carson, Rachel (1990). The Obligation to Endure. University Colloquium: A Sustainable Future, 153.

The reason I chose this statement is because the way the author describes pollution as "man's assault" on nature. The way she describes it is different than the way I have heard pollution described before, and it really made me think. Humans really are assaulting the environment with different acts such as fracking and mining and logging. I cannot believe I never understood that we really are assaulting the environment because we are causing physical harm to it. We humans need to learn that doing this does not only hurt the environment, but it also hurts us. 

Shiva Biodiversity

http://appvoices.org/end-mountaintop-removal/ecology/

1. "Seeing other life forms as biological and genetic raw material is fraught with environmental risks."

Shiva, Vandana (2000).What is Biodiversity and Why is it so Important. University                                     Colloquium: A Sustainable Future, 41.

      I agree that there are some ecological risks involved with using various life forms as raw materials, but these risks only come if the materials are over harvested. If we use life form as materials at a sustainable rate where the overall health of the population of that life form are not changed, there is no reason why we cannot use the resources we are given. However, the moment we over harvest a resource the risk increases exponentially. 

2. "Ecosystems are a ecologically and biologically organized system consisting of diverse flora and fauna." 


Shiva, Vandana (2000).What is Biodiversity and Why is it so Important. University                                     Colloquium: A Sustainable Future, 42.

     The reason I chose this statement is because after I read it I realized that no matter how close or how far, each ecosystem is unique in its own way. Literally every ecosystem on the entire planet has one thing that makes it different that than any other ecosystem. This means that every organism in that ecosystem has a specific duty that helps it thrive. If we use too much of a resource, we are directly effecting the life of the other members of that ecosystem. This is why is said earlier that we need to be sustainable about how much natural resources we consume. 

3. "Mass extinctions have taken place during geological time, but the erosion of biodiversity has become a systematic product of industrialization."

Shiva, Vandana (2000).What is Biodiversity and Why is it so Important. University                                     Colloquium: A Sustainable Future, 45.

     This statement suggests that because the world is more industrialized, the amount of biodiversity on the planet is being decreased. This is a valid statement, because as we become more industrialized, we have to expand. This results in the destruction of natural habitats and forces the residents to either move or die. We need to find a way to be more sustainable in our expansion so that we can preseve the life around us.