Earth

Mars has an unforgiving and dangerous environment, which is why it’s not safe to send someone there. It’s not impossible to send someone to Mars, it’s that we’re not ready or prepared to send someone there yet. The program Mars One will send four unlucky people to Mars in the year 2022, and it would be a terrible idea to sign up. Many things could go wrong, including all of the low oxygen and cosmic radiation, running out of fuel and food, and the fact that Mars One is a one way trip!…

Over the past fifty years the earth has gone through numerous climate changes. Such changes include permafrost melting, receding glaciers and the disappearance of sea ice. Due to these changes the earths landscaped has changed. In the sea ice animation from Cryosphere Today, we can see how the sea ice has changed dramatically growing in the winter months and then dissipating during the summer months. Most of these changes occur not only from the climate change itself but rather from human…

humans may not have only evolved on Earth. Astronomers say that the chance that a human civilization evolved only on Earth and nowhere else in the universe is less than about one in a billion trillion (Shekhtman). The universe is so vast that it is possible there are other Earth-like planets capable of supporting life. The chances that life only evolved on Earth is really low. In fact, Astronomers say that the chance that a human civilization evolved only on Earth and nowhere else in the…

polar ice caps are melting causing a frightening increase to ocean levels, but Clay Kelly still has hope. By analyzing microscopic organisms, associate professor Daniel Clay Kelly in UW-Madison’s Department of Geoscience, studies the history of the earths’ climate that, explains how ocean acidification and rising carbon dioxide levels are causing catastrophic damage to our planet. Deep-sea sediment records are used as an archived of the Earth’s climate that spans the last 170 million years of…

The atmosphere is a clear odourless gas that envelopes the Earth, held together by gravity. Everyone on the planet has the right and access to the atmosphere, making it a global common. There are many components that make up the atmosphere, the main components is nitrogen, which makes up 78.09% of the atmosphere, and oxygen, which makes up 20.95%. Around 1% of the atmosphere is comprised of water vapour, methane, carbon dioxide, sulphur, argon and particulates (e.g. dust). There are a total of…

Part II of Thomas Friedman’s book Thank you for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations revolves around the accelerating forces of technology, globalization and climate change, which are driving the “Machine.” A term used by the author to describe “the world’s biggest gears and pulleys [that] are shaping events.” In chapter 6, Friedman uses “Mother Nature” as an umbrella term to refer to climate change, biodiversity loss and population growth and he argues that…

Thesis Statement: The world's population growth has caused a destruction of the environment. I. Agriculture may look common and environmental friendly but as the amount of farm increased with the population, we had actually damaged the environment. A. Farming had caused soil erosion and degradation. 1. As we build more farm for planting usage, many forest had been damaged.It may further lead to soil erosion. 2. Pesticide and fertilizer used destroy the soil’s natural properties, not to mention…

Ted Summative Part C: Conflict and Controversy Energy is being consumed in ways that are not sustainable. This is a serious issue that is already affecting the environment and its effects will only worsen. With any issue, there is conflict and controversy surrounding this topic. There is controversy between people who agree that global warming is a serious issue and those who think otherwise. There is also conflict between people who think global warming will fix itself and those who think…

begin and end. The current geologic time scale has present day humans living in the Holocene period which began almost 12,000 years ago. Recent debate has begun, however, that proposes a new period. Since humans have had such a large effect on the Earth, especially in the last few hundred years, various scientists want to see this period of human effects as its own section on the geologic time scale. This section would be known as the Anthropocene. In this article, the author explores the…

It is mined from our oceans and within our earth to provide energy, gas, and fuel for heating homes, fueling vehicles, and factory use around the world. In relation to global needs, these energy sources contribute to the economy, as McKibben claims, "It is economic growth."(par.13). Carbon dioxide is the only pollutant that is not reduced because of fossil fuels, and its economic value to people on Earth. However, as long as we continue to utilize fossil fuels for its oil…