Written Assignment #5

The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Countries that ratify this protocol commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases, or engage in emissions trading if they maintain or increase emissions of these gases.

"The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement under which industrialised countries will reduce their collective emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% compared to the year 1990 (but note that, compared to the emissions levels that would be expected by 2010 without the Protocol, this limitation represents a 29% cut). The goal is to lower overall emissions of six greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs, and PFCs - calculated as an average over the five-year period of 2008-12. National limitations range from 8% reductions for the European Union and some others to 7% for the US, 6% for Japan, 0% for Russia, and permitted increases of 8% for Australia and 10% for Iceland."

New automobile technologies are making new cars more fuel-efficient, helping in the fight against global warming -- a six-speed automated manual transmission can save 8 percent of a vehicle's CO2 emissions, for example.New automobile technologies, already in limited use in today’s cars, are helping in the fight against global warming. Continuous variable valve lift technologies improve the way engines breathe, reducing about 5 percent of a car’s carbon dioxide emissions.

There are many problems with the Kyoto Protocol and President George W. Bush does not agree with it and therefore refuses to sign the treaty. Do you agree or disagree with this position? Do you believe a law should be drafted that requires auto manufacturers in the United States to produce vehicles that achieve 50 miles per gallon of gasoline? Is it possible for auto makers to produce such an automobile?

Write a comment to this post by May 9, 2008. You must include a minimum of two (2) reputable (not Wikipedia) on-line sources.

Written Assignment #4

Water is essential for life and plays a vital role in the proper functioning of the Earth's ecosystems. The pollution of water has a serious impact on all living creatures, and can negatively affect the use of water for drinking, household needs, recreation, fishing, transportation and commerce. EPA enforces federal clean water and safe drinking water laws, provides support for municipal wastewater treatment plants, and takes part in pollution prevention efforts aimed at protecting watersheds and sources of drinking water. The Agency carries out both regulatory and voluntary programs to fulfill its mission to protect the nation's waters. Though much has been done to clean up our waters, much work remains. Sewer overflows and runoff from farms and city streets threaten the life-sustaining properties of our waters, endanger human health and wildlife, and result in thousands of beach closings each year.

How can you help save freshwater in your daily life? Would the savings be worth the cost? Do you think that water polllution is worse now than it was in the past?

Write a comment to this post by April 25, 2008. You must include a minimum of two (2) reputable (not Wikipedia) on-line sources.

Written Assignment #3

In the face of major environmental challenges including such problems as urban smog, diffuse source pollution and eutrophication of rivers, it is becoming increasingly clear that reliance on traditional approaches to regulation alone will not ensure continued environmental improvements or allow regulatory agencies to achieve their missions. Environmental taxes, charges and levies are one major class of economic instruments that could be used for achieving better levels of environmental protection. They constitute a mechanism for putting prices on the use of the environment. As with any other policy tool, their acceptability and effectiveness varies according to the particular environmental problem at hand and the way they are designed and implemented.

Are good health and a clean environment a basic human right or merely something that we should all strive for? Would you be willing to pay a separate tax for a cleaner environment?

Write a comment to this post by April 4, 2008. You must include a minimum of two (2) reputable (not Wikipedia) on-line sources.

Written Assignment #2

The application of weapons, the destruction of structures and oil fields, fires, military transport movements and chemical spraying are all examples of the destroying impact war may have on the environment. Air, water and soil are polluted, man and animal are killed, and numerous health affects occur among those still living. Do you believe that human beings, as only one species among the millions sharing the ecosystems on earth, are morally justified in altering ecosystems for their own purposes and thereby consigning other species to extinction?


Write a comment to this post by March 14, 2008. You must include a minimum of two (2) reputable (not Wikipedia) on-line sources.

Environmental Writing Assignments - Getting started

The use of this blog in class will require you to post your thoughts and comments throughout the year as part of the "Written Assignments" portion of the course outline. In order to post to this blog you need to have a user account set up. Your first assignment is to create an account at www.blogger.com Follow the instructions for creating an account and make sure that your username and display name are something that you will remember, but are also something that could not be used to personally identify you. I also recommend that you e-mail your log-in information to yourself, so that you can easily access your blog. After you have set up your account, email me your display name (this is the name that your posts will be signed with and may be the same as your username if you choose) so I can identify you and give you credit for your assignments and postings throughout the year. Please complete this assignment by Friday February 8, 2008.

Written Assignment #1

The dramatic achievements of Public Health in the 20th century have improved our quality of life: an increase in life expectancy, world wide reduction in infant and child mortality, and the elimination or reduction of many communicable diseases.

Climate change, acid rain, depletion of the ozone layer, species extinction--all of these issues point to one thing: environmental health is a global issue that concerns all nations of the world. Now add environmental justice to the list. From South Bronx to Soweto, from Penang to El Paso, communities all over the world are finding commonality in their experiences and goals in seeking environmental justice.

How has Public Health awareness improved the quality of life in the last century? What is environmental justice? Describe how it has influenced public health and our overall quality of life.

Write a comment to this post by February 29, 2008. You must include a minimum of two (2) reputable (not Wikipedia) on-line sources.

Lake Erie Woes!










How were your lives impacted by the boil water order implemented by the Erie County Department of Health during the "October Surprise" storm of 2006?

What is the source of our fresh water in Elma?

What circumstances would force the County to issue this compliance?