Sporting Events Hurt the Environment?

By: Anav Chopra

Over the course of history, sports have helped develop a sense of healthy competition and entertainment in society. Today, sports are a key component of our culture. Whether it be by developing physical and social skills in earlier years of life, such as through pee-wee football, or watching your favorite sport on T.V. while you cheer on your favorite team, sports are all around us. 

Around the world, there are mega sporting events taking place, such as: the Summer and Winter Olympics, Super Bowls, World Series, and World Cups. Many cities eagerly host these events in hope of funding for new infrastructure, community involvement, and a boost in tourism. For many cities, the chance to host a sporting event means an improved economy and a better life for their citizens. 

However, past experiences have showed that host cities do not always gain the benefits that they had hoped for. Rather, these events leave severe environmental consequences. These consequences include the pollution from the building of all the new stadiums and facilities as well as when the event is actually taking place. As an enthusiastic football and basketball fan, this news was quite the eye opener. 

Carbon emissions that boost climate change are a major factor of events’ ecological footprint. Some organizations implement policies for the carbon emissions generated by an event. However, in a time where global warming is becoming more and more prevalent, do these “policies” truly provide comfort? Moreover, these calculated large emissions of carbon do not even start to account for the tons of trash and food waste, energy consumption to power the stadium and hotels, or water consumption for the fields, pools, and even the toilets.

One research study conducted by professors in the United Kingdom looked to estimate the ecological footprints of a major sporting event. The event they used as their case study was the Football Association Challenge Cup Final (English domestic football). The factors assessed while calculating this footprint included transportation, food and water usage/waste, as well as infrastructural developments. 

“The study found that the average attendee generates a footprint seven times greater than an average person living an average lifestyle. The reason for this drastic increase is due substantially due to transportation. The consumption of food and drink, and the energy and resources required to produce that food and drink, makes up the next largest part of the footprint.” (Forbes) 

Due to the stadium that the event took place in being extremely old, the stadium itself did not have an immense impact to the result. However, stadiums will not always be this old. As technology in our society is being innovated everyday, the demand for stadiums that will attract large sports teams high. These stadiums are now offering state of the art facilities and technologies that no team wants to give up. For example, in the NFL, there have been at least eight new constructed stadiums in the last 15 years. (Football Stadium Digest)

Lastly, the opportunity and excitement that comes with hosting a mega sporting event leads to cities relaxing their rules for development and preparation. This may be because of the short amount of time given to prepare for hosting the event, or it may be that cities receive lots of pressure to satisfy their expectations for the event. 

Sports are definitely a vital part of our culture. They are integrated into many people’s daily lives. However, we cannot continue to let the pressure of extravagance get in the way of the Earth’s wellbeing. Is there any way to bring more awareness to this issue? What can we do to decrease a sporting event’s ecological footprint? Do you believe that the change that is necessary will be implemented in the near future? 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/uhenergy/2017/12/11/big-sports-events-have-big-environmental-footprints-could-social-licenses-to-operate-help/#542924e950c

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/reducing-sports-impact-environment/

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/oct/29/features.environment

https://footballstadiumdigest.com/2017/09/nfl-stadiums-listed-oldest-to-newest/

Sustainability Through Genetically Engineered Animals?

By Rachel Chiang

In recent years, the increased use of modern science and technology has intensified; scientists are now searching for new alternative ways to sustain life and health. Due to the growing human population, the inevitable Thomas Malthus theory of whether we will run out of food to feed the people becomes an actual concern. As a result, these scientists are beginning to attempt to increase their disease resistance, muscle density, offspring production, and milk protein in hopes to produce qualitative and quantitative food for humans. However, there are dangers and untested sides to this kind of science, and many question whether the products of these experiments are worth the hazards. Personally, as I was first researching information for this topic I leaned on the side advocating for the use of science to help solve this issue. However, the more I read, the more I became skeptical about this practice. I will present the facts and allow you all to decide for yourselves whether we should continue down this path.

    Since the boundaries of genetically modified animals are still being tested, there are many unknown possible risks that may emerge. One of these is the possible escape of experimental animals into the environment; this may cause an outbreak of a foreign disease to a habitat and annihilate the unsuspecting wildlife in that region, resulting in the endangerment of certain species.  It also has the potential for the transfer of the disease and genetic material to humans, and due to the lack of knowledge surrounding these experiments, it is yet to be determined whether it could have long-term consequences to those who are exposed.

Furthermore, because of its relatively new stage, there is a also lack of laws and regulations surrounding the use of animals in such experiments. Because of the minimal laws there are about certain types of animal testing, biotech companies are not required to disclose information on the activities occurring within the laboratories. This allows scientists to test the animals to however they see fit, whether it is ethically justifiable or not, and thus, there is little evidence of their experiments known as they only disclose what they voluntarily release into the public. Stemming from this begs the question as to what’s occurring behind closed doors that could be potentially harming these animals to increase their yield. For instance, there has been cases in which animal abuse is taking place in laboratory testing. Opponents of genetic engineering on animals claim they are treating them as “test tubes with tails.” In fact, there are cases where transgenic pigs became infertile, blind, and arthritic when human growth genes were injected into their DNA. These cases are simply cruel, inhumane, and savage, they have yet to prove to have positive results; this essentially means an innocent life was destroyed with no beneficial outcome.

    However, despite the negative sides to these experiments, this science has seen technological improvements and began introducing more laws concerning the genetic engineering of animals will improve and make promising achievements in the future providing animals with safer environments and protect humans from possible disease outbreaks. As more success of this genetically modified testing science progresses, it can help push US legal systems to ratify the laws concerning this type of animal testing and provide a safe testing environment that will protect the animals and the humans along the way. Even though progress has been made on the science side of this testing, there is still the safer alternative and more reliable practices than the unpredictable methods of trial and error; for instance, selective breeding has proved to be just as effective as genetic engineering and does virtually no harm to the animals in question.

    Ultimately, the search for a reliable source of medicine to benefit humanity will continue to progress. As stated, there are clearly dangers to this new method of science, but there are also some promising results that could potentially benefit humanity in the future should we decide to venture down this path of science. Do you think we should use GMOs to increase crop yield? Do you think the risks outweigh the benefits? What other methods of sustainability can we attempt to use to prevent extinction? Is it ethical to treat animals in this manner?

https://www.animallaw.info/article/brief-summary-genetic-engineering-and-animals

https://www.yourgenome.org/debates/is-it-ethical-to-genetically-modify- 

https://fas.org/biosecurity/education/dualuse-agriculture/2.-agricultural-biotechnology/risk

             

The Mostly-Promising Future With Autonomous Vehicles and the Environment

By Hannah Cargo

Frankly, the promise of self-driving cars excites me. Yes, I am well aware of the dangers of teaching computers to drive, especially if it includes trial and error. The fantasy of being able to work or read instead of having to keep your eyes on the dreary road, to call a car to your location through a mobile device, and not having to deal with reckless drivers is certainly one to be enjoyed, especially if you had to suffer the stress of driver's ed like I did. However, when addressing an innovation that could so deeply affect our daily life, it's important to think about how it will affect our environment and the biosphere as a whole.

Because autonomous vehicles are still in testing phases and severely limited in use, predictions for environmental effects may be more speculation and guesswork, but the way I (and a few other researchers) see it, a future with widespread use of self driving cars will either exponentially decrease our environmental footprint or fuel a greater demand for fossil fuels. At the moment, I am leaning towards the positive effects on the environment. 

In the computer-driver future, the amount of cars in existence could decrease. Cars continuously driving, like taxi cabs on steroids, could circle from location to location, never really parking. Since cars are parked and unused about 85% of the time, a autonomous car could get more "bang for its buck", and reduce the need for constructing large parking garages, lots, or even home garages, which could cut down on the concrete jungle that is urban areas. Assuming our computer drivers are programmed with utmost precision, many protective materials that make up our modern cars would not be necessary. Heavy air bags, anti-lock brakes, and laminated glass would no longer need to be created, or eventually, wasted. And since these heavy, unnecessary protective materials no longer weigh down the car, emissions would decrease and propulsion could be more effective. Another way driverless cars could cut emissions would be the elimination of traffic. A future with autonomous cars that can communicate to each other slightly faster than wifi speed means driverless cars don't need to wait at a red light. Stop, yields, and red lights are all human signs to communicate who has the right of way to people you can't stop to have a conversation with. With digital information being conveyed during the drive, traffic and sitting with the engine running can be cut entirely, reducing useless CO2 emissions. 

On the other hand, driverless cars means that driving could be very much more appealing. The average passenger, who may spend their drive time watching a movie, would be encouraged to take longer trips, which could increase demand for fossil fuels with which to power the drive. 

Until  more data is available to the public, most of this is prediction and speculation. However I believe it is better to weigh out all possible options when it comes to the environment. Safe is better than sorry, after all. 

What are your predictions?

Resources:

https://time.com/4476614/self-driving-cars-environment/

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2016/11/18/292588/the-impact-of-vehicle-automation-on-carbon-emissions-where-uncertainty-lies/

https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-04-18/driverless-cars-could-either-be-scary-or-great-environment

For extra food for thought, check out this quick interesting video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHzzSao6ypE

This is Why I'm Vegetarian

This is Why I’m Vegetarian

By: Ananya Bhogaraju

People always say, “How are you vegetarian? I could never give up meat.” “Being vegetarian would be too hard, I don’t know how you do it!” The production of meat is reckoned to have a major impact on the environment. The farming of animals results in the loss of biodiversity, deforestation, and land and water degradation. Part of the 18% of human-created greenhouse gases comes from livestock farming. This percentage is larger than all types of transport emissions put together. That is horrible!

The beef-meat production has increased in the past 40 years. With the significant increase in the slaughtering of cows, large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas, is being released into the atmosphere. As more methane releases into the air, the atmosphere becomes warmer. A warmer atmosphere creates climate change. With climate change, deforestation, the melting of the ice-caps, and rising sea levels can all hurt the ecosystem. With the environmental consequences, biodiversity is lost, habitats are destroyed and air quality can be poor. Livestock farming contributes to more than half of water(57%) and air pollution(56%). Something so simple as eating beef for lunch can cause a disaster in our ecosystem. Do we want this to happen in our generation and further? 

Being vegetarian is beneficial for our human body too. It has been proven that being vegetarian can reduce heart disease, obesity, types of cancer and diabetes. According to the University of Oxford, a recent study conducted included 48,000 UK adults. The researchers monitor the indivduals for eighteen years and found results that people with plant-based diets are prone to ten fewer cases of heart disease. To add on, in a vegetarian diet the high amounts of fiber provide good energy for the human body to work more efficiently. Thus, helping the environment can also help ourselves. 

Being vegetarian is part of my identity. Although all the convincing benefits of being vegetarian came to mind, the idea of animals being killed outweighed those benefits. I am against the abuse and slaughtering of animals for food. Having a plant- based diet doesn’t only mean eating salads everyday. There are a variety of options for people to eat. Something so simple as eating beef for lunch can cause a disaster in our ecosystem. Next time you eat a hamburger think about the consequences that can affect the environment and you. 

What are your thoughts on being vegetarian? Do you think you could give up meat? Do you think becoming vegetarian can help save the ecosystem?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_meat_production

http://theconversation.com/five-ways-the-meat-on-your-plate-is-killing-the-planet-76128

https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02409-7

https://time.com/5669628/vegetarians-vegans-stroke-study/

India's Trash Mountains

The Plastic Pollution Problem

By: Fatema Bhanpurawala

         When people think of a vacation destination, India almost never makes the cut. Relaxing beaches,  resorts, and historic places are always the number one choice. Despite having all this and even one of the wonders of the world, India is almost never considered relaxing or exotic. Why? This is because when people think of India, the first thing that comes to mind is the piles of trash and slums all around the city. The beauty and allure of the country is being overlooked due to the high mountains of plastic and waste making up much of the landscape. Traveling there almost every summer, it is apperent that once a beautiful and culturally rich land is fighting a losing battle with its biggest enemy- the landfills.

        Taking a look into Delhi, the population has rapidly increased from 12 million to 19 million in the last two decades. Unfortunately infrastructure has failed to keep up and instead waste has filled up the cities landscape, growing from anywhere from 8 million to 20 million pounds a day. With 3 major dumps in the city, Ghazipur raises the most concern. Inside the landfill, non biodegradable items mix in with recyclable plastic and creates the biggest trash mountain of India. Rising to reach the height of the iconic Taj Mahal at 73 meters tall, this dump is nicknamed the Mount Everest of Trash.  

        The dump of Ghazipur affects not only the city but also the poverty stricken residents who are forced to live around it. Airborne particles spread through the city and infect the residents with dreadful diseases such as tuberculosis and dengue fever. Furthermore, the poisonous gas makes breathing almost impossible. A local doctor said she sees almost 70 patients a day due to respiratory issues. In fact, between 2013 and 2017 almost 981 deaths took place due to acute respiratory infection. Yet the people are unable to escape the clutches of the enemy, and have no where else to go which forces them to adapt to this sickening lifestyle. 

      Furthermore, this dump poses a huge hazardous problem as the environment also suffers at the hand of the dump. With the waste being left out in the open, there is an increase in anaerobic decomposition, the process in which organisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen, and generates heat and methane. This produces many surface and sub surface fires which pollutes the air with the smell and harmful materials carried from the dump. Specifically, the sitting waste produces black hazardous liquid called leachate. With nothing to hold in the secretion, it flows directly into many canals nearby polluting a major water supply. With hazardous material infiltrating the water, residents continue to be put in danger. 

        As a response many politicians took charge to solve this growing problem. From the 29 states and 7 unions in India, 17 have implemented bans and restrictions on the usage of plastic, but without a proper alternative to the plastic bags and bottles in India, not much change is able to take place. But recently new policies and techniques have been set in place such as taxing extra to use plastic bags and creation of new dump sites further away from residential areas to divide up the waste accumulation. These new implementations and more that will come in the future are helping India restore beauty and safety throughout. 

Why do you think that most of these trash mountains are located in slums and affecting mainly the poverty stricken residents? What are some plausible alternatives to plastic that the people can use in order to reduce their waste? How are the hazardous environmental impact of these mountains affecting the flora and fauna of the area?

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-growing-mountain-of-rubbish-in-india-will-soon-require-aircraft-warning-lights

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/07/asia/india-plastic-waste-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/10/world/asia/india-delhi-garbage.html

Welcome to our Class Blog!

Hi! This is Ms. Westbrook

Welcome to our APES class blog!

This blog serves several purposes for our class:

1. Literacy and science, believe it or not, have very important links.  As people of science, it is important to learn to speak and write the language of science in order for us to convey the essence and specifics of what we need to learn.  It is important to practice and learn how to talk about science in academic, yet engaging language.  This blog gives us a chance to practice and learn from each other.

2. APES is a class of immediacy.  There are relevant topics that surface in the media and in everyday life consistently.  Whether the topic is oil drilling, pipelines, climate change, plastic straws or testing on animals, environmental science is in the news!  We need to learn to read and discern the messages we are receiving and to find out what everyone's talking about.  This blog gives us a chance to discuss and challenge what we read and see.  It also allows us all to be able to help others understand what they are read and hearing if we are the experts in the discussions!  This is a class of current affairs!

3. This is about what interests YOU! What topic would you like to dig deeper on?  What would you like to research and know more about? Here is your chance to write about your passions.

4.   We only have 18 weeks to cover the material.  APES is a very broad class.  There is NO WAY I can cover everything.  So you get to help!  And this is important.  On last year's AP test, one of the FRQ's was about ocean acidification.  I barely grazed the subject in class but someone from each class wrote a blog about it.  And guess what? Everyone went into the test armed with knowledge about the subject. Yay!  I get to let you cover what I can't as just one person!

So here are the guidelines for writing your blog:

• Pick a topic that (hopefully) is relevant and timely.  Try to look at what we are studying and make your blog fit with the topics.  This isn't alway possible if your passions are for climate change and we are talking about biomes.  Go for your passions!!
• Make it personal.  Relate it to something in your life. Tell us why you are passionate about it! Use humor.  Make us cry! Make us angry enough to fight!
• Use photos. Make your blog look nice.
• Use proper grammar and check for spelling... please!
• It needs to be AT LEAST 4 healthy paragraphs.
• Ask questions at the end of the blog to stimulate discussion in the comments.
• Cite your sources.  There needs to be at least 3 good, reputable sources at the end of the blog.  Links to websites are fine. Plagiarism is a HUGE NO NO.
• Your name must be at the top of the blog. I will not give you credit until your name is at the top of the blog.