Solar Predictions of SunRun: In 2012 Americans Will See Solar as a Way to Save, Not a Science Project

Article was posted by a "Guest" to the website. December 14, 2011.
http://www.treehugger.com/renewable-energy/2012-americans-will-see-solar-as-way-to-save-not-science-project.html



This is a picture of a house with solar panels. With the prediction of an increase in the purchasing of solar panels


Good news in the solar panel world! The solar company by the name of SunRun is claiming that by 2012 more people will be likely to buy solar panels. They say that this will occur because by then, people will start to see solar panels in a whole new light. With the new advancements, many Americans will not see solar panels and think of it as some science project. They will realize that the solar panels are a good way to help the environment. SunRun gives a list of things that they think will be the cause for the expected increase of solar usage in 2012. Those reasons include the decreasing of the price of the panels. The price has already decreased 30% and should decrease even more. Also, many Americans are learning that to have solar panels, you do not necessarily have to own them and pay the full regular price. You can lease the panels for periods of time which makes it much cheaper for families. Another reason is that solar is being designed in a way where there are no panels. This is a cheaper and easier alternative. Lastly, the panels can give the economy billions of dollars in return. All these reasons make it look like a bright future for the spreading of solar panels in America. looking for a bright future for the solar panel industry.


Opinion/Reflection
After researching this article, I hope that SunRun is correct with their prediction. I think that a lot of people do think that solar panels are out of reach and maybe soon they will see it might actually be. If more people would be able to see that solar panels are a really wonderful way to help the environment. They may be costly, but what they give back to us is much greater. I think that if more people saw how much the solar industry is working to make the prices within their reach, that they will buy them more. They will see that solar panels are not just a science project. The industry does really want to accommodate us more so that the environment will be helped.


Questions
1. Do you agree with the predictions that SunRun is making that more people will buy solar panels?
2. If you had the option to buy solar panels before learning about the expected price decreases, would you have? If not, did this change your mind at all?
3. What do you think could be another way that they could make solar panels more in the reach of Americans?

Drill Happy

URLhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/West_Texas_Pumpjack.JPG/300px-West_Texas_Pumpjack.JPG

Picture:This is a picture of a machine drilling for oil which is occurring in many parts of the globe. This doing by the industries is hurting the environment and it is also hurting the people around the site. People need to act and and tell the governments and industries not to drill for oil. The picture also represents that people do not want these industries fracking near their homes.

Summary:

Many people across America do not want industries fracking outside their homes. Specifically, this article is talking about in Pennsylvania, how many people are living next to or near drilling operations. This is affecting them tremendously because they are constantly living with loud noises and they are breathing in toxic fumes because of the many diesel trucks coming and going from the operations. This article is also talks about the affects of drilling and fracking for oil underground. Fracking involves millions of gallons of water going through at a high pressure. It also involves mixtures of many rocks to as a result form gases. These things comes upon a great danger to out drinking water because of the fact that most of our water comes from underground. Gas companies are still doing fracking and drilling for oil even with such environmental laws like The Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. It has not been easy to find a link between the fracking and the contaminated water because of the fact that people who have had problems, made non disclosure settlements with the companies. In New York they are trying to provide buffer zones to protect watersheds, and other sensitive areas where there is fracking. People and the governments are realizing what is going on in as a result of the fracking and they are trying to do something about it. The article talks about how we should not only look at the problems with fracking and drilling in Pennsylvania and New York, but we should try to help with it all over the world.

Opinion/Reflection:

I believe that this issue with the fracking and the drilling is very bad and harmful. Peoples lives could be at stake because their water is being contaminated from the starting point underground. The industries and other people that are involved are being too greedy and trying too hard to get this oil that they are actually harming people. It is also very devastating that the enviornment is also getting harmed because the enviornment protects us in many different ways. For example, the watersheds do so many things for us like helping us control flooding so we don't have a disaster. In class we talked about how fracking and drilling for oil is really hurting the environment and if it keeps continuing that we will face many huge problems. The fracking and drilling that is going on in America needs to stop and I believe the citizens will take control and make it end soon.

Questions:

1) Do you think this problem with cease in the future?

2) What do you think us citizens should do to emphasize the importance of peoples water being clean?

3) Why do you think these industries keep doing the fracking and drilling for oil?

Wind Electricity to be Fully Competitive with Natural Gas by 2016

http://www.grist.org/wind-power/2011-11-14-wind-electricity-to-be-fully-competitive-with-natural-gas-by-201

Picture:

This is a picture of wind turbines. The turbines help with wind energy. This form of energy is very good for the environment, and it is less expensive than most other energy sources.

Summary:

Today, wind energy is competing with coal, gas, and nuclear energy. Environmentally, this form of energy is much safer than fossil fuels and nuclear energy. It also seems to be more economically friendly than other forms of energy. The cost of wind-generated electricity has gone down by 14% for every two instillations. It is expected that the cost will reduce another 12% by 2016. These cost reductions are due to sophisticated manufacturing, better materials, larger turbines, and more experience with plant operations and maintenance. Wind energy's major competitor is gas energy. Gas plays as an excellent back up when the wind is not blowing, but gas prices have also gone down substantially. There has recently been a boom in shale gas extraction which has dropped the prices of natural gas prices which is making it more difficult for wind energy to be more popular. It takes a lot of strategizing in order to reduce the prices of wind energy even more.

Opinion/Reflection:

I think that wind energy is an excellent solution to all of the issues that we are seeing when it comes to the types of energy. It does not cost a lot of money, and it is "greener" than most energy that is used. It is a good idea to have natural gas a a back up for when the wind is not blowing. We learned in class that natural gas is the best of the fossil fuels, but wind energy is still better than it. I am glad to see that people are taking iniciative and trying to make environmentally friendly energy sources available to everyone regardless of their income.

Questions:

1. Would you choose wind energy or natural gas? Why?

2. Do you think people are on board with switching to wind energy? Why?

3. In the future, do you see wind energy being our main energy source? If not, what type of energy do you think we will mainly be using? Explain.

Study Shows that High Gas Prices do Reduce Driving, Encourage Use of Alternatives

Study Shows That High Gas Prices Do Reduce Driving, Encourage Use of Alternatives

This is a picture of an exhaust pipe. This is what sends the gas into the air and causes a lot of damage. There are exhaust pipes in both public transportation and regular cars. Most public transportation sends out more pollutants that regular cars, but buses and trains hold more people than cars do.

Summary:

The article shows that student at the University of Texas, Bradley Lane has a contadiction to this issue. It shows that when there is a 10 percent increase in gas prices, public transportation increases also. People may love driving their own car, but some people just cannot afford to have to pay all of the expenses that come with it. You have to pay for gas, oil changes and other repairs for it. If you do not have insurance and you get into a car accident this could cause some pretty bad bruises to your wallet. The thing we do not know is how we can make the world greener. There are two options: increase gas prices which means less driving but more public transportation or decrease gas prices which would result with more driving and less public transporation. The big question is which is worse for the environment: a little amount public transportation or a lot of cars?

Reflection:

I think that with the new technology, we should stick with cars. People would mostly likely prefer to stay with their cars than in dirty buses or subways. Although, if Septa and other public transprotation companies have more money from the increase in passengers, they can spend the extra money on cleaning up their stations. But the new cars like Hybrids and Prius's which use less gasoline can help environment. And the Ethanol in the previous post may help the problem that gas causes. The whole situation would take a lot of thinking through and it is all based on gas prices. It is so ridiculous how one number can affect so much in our environment.

Questions:

Which option would you choose? Why?

Can you think of any other solutions? Even ones that scientists have not thought of yet?

When you are older, will you use public transportation or your car? Why?

Ethanol From Biomass

website: http://www.google.com/reader/view/hl=en&tab=wy#search/oil%20and%20gas%20prices/0

Picture:
This a picture of a corn field. It represents how ethanol comes from corn and other plants.
Summary: The article I read is about the production of ethanol. Ethanol is an alcohol based fuel that is broken down corn, palm oil, sugar cane, and other agricultural products. There is talk about using ethanol to fuel cars instead of oil. Doing this would save oil and would limit the impacts that it has on global warming. Ethanol is something that we would be able to produce here in the United States. That would limit the amount of money that we spend on importing oil from countries in the Middle East. Oil is an nonrenewable resource so we need to use it wisely. Other countries, like Brazil, are in the process of converting over to using ethanol as an alternative resource. Oil prices are so high right now that there is a struggle for people to put gas in their cars. Countries are starting to make cars that can run on ethanol. It can fuel non-diesel engines or gasoline engines. Using ethanol would be a new way to preserve oil, help our environment, and save money.  Even thought ethanol can benefit all of these things, there are some risk. A large abundance of the Amazon rainforest is being destroyed every year to create bio-fuel crops. This is causing starvation in countries in Africa. The use of this product could lead to loss in biodiversity, soil erosion, and nutrient leaching.
Response:
I think it is a smart idea to come up with an alternative resource. Considering our countries economy and environmental issues it is the right time to start preparing for a change. It is definitely something that we as a country should start preparing for. The problem that we have with oil now is something that our generation is going to have to deal with all of our lives. Even though this seems like a brilliant idea it puts us all in a very tough situation because of the risks it has. We do not really know if the effects would be long term or not. If we were to all use ethanol it could come with consequences that can not necessarily be fixed.
Questions
1. After considering the pros and cons of using ethanol would you use it? Why or why not?
2. If you have the option to use oil or ethanol in your car which one would you use? Why?
3. Do you think the United States will do something before the supply of oil plummets? Explain.

Tropical Cyclones Intensified by Rising South Air Pollution

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/TropicalStormFranklin05.jpg/250px-TropicalStormFranklin05.jpg

This article is written by Matthew Mcdermott on November 3, 2011.
Picture: This is a picture of a cyclone hitting the tropical areas. Cyclones are very deadly natural disasters and they can affect many people living in the areas. Cyclones hand happen as an affect of many different things. One of the main reasons why cyclones occur is because of air pollution.
Summary:
This article I found is about air pollution and how it affects weather and natural disasters occurring. A lot of air pollution in Asia is causing tropical cyclones to hit the Indian Ocean. Until recently, cyclones in the seas were intended to be relatively weak storms. Now technology is advancing and scientists are figuring out that the wind speeds and circular patterns are changing. This is resulting in an increase of strong storms. The manipulation of the winds and the patterns are linked to some specific pollution. For example, coal burning, cooking fires, and old diesel engines. In some places this created smog that was 1.9 miles thick, and this changed wind patterns and rainfall. These happenings also lead to cyclones becoming more deadly and intensified. A major part of this problem of pollution relates to the major population increase in Asia, and specifically India. This population increase triggered a major amount of pollution and different gases/chemicals in the air. For example Black Carbon Pollution and Sulfate pollution are happening to the environment. However, they each have a different impact, Black Carbon is shown to have increased the warming causing glaciers to melt. The Sulfate Pollution scatters radiation. Along with all this pollution, greenhouse gases are rising as well. This issue is also having a major impact on the weather of Southern Asia and the monsoon to come. Major air pollutions are impacting Southern Asia, in terms of the climate and cyclones, and also the people that live there.
Reaction:
I am very surprised and saddened at this issue that is occurring is Southern Asia. I felt extremely bad for the people that live in Asia because it is not their fault for what is happening. The population growth is not their fault because they just want to live a normal life and have kids. This is causing drastic weather changes and patterns in the Indian Ocean as well as other seas. The poor people in Asia have to deal with the arsenic in their water, as well as this problem that has come up last year. I am very glad that technology has advanced and scientists and taking this more into consideration now. I believe that the scientists will come up with something that reduces all the harmful effects that these weather and cyclones are bringing. Many people say that we need weather changes and more water. What is happening in Asia is taking it to the very limit and it is getting to a point where it needs to reduce. I can relate this to my life because I have actually been to a county in Asia and witnessed this first hand. I have seen the so many people living and walking the streets daily and I can really understand why the cyclones are happening. I am very sad and devastated by what is happening in Asia with the pollution and the drastic weather changes.

Questions:

1) Why is the population growing at such a fast rate in Asia especially, and not other countries?

2) What can people living in the United States do to help the pollution increase in Asia?

3) Do you think the pollution in Asia will go down, and will it cause the cyclones and drastic weather changes to decrease as well?

Exploiting Groundwater in Southern Asia Could Have Poisonous Effects

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-water/exploiting-groundwater-in-southern-asia-could-have-poisonous-effects.html?campaign=th_rss

Summary:
In Southern Asia, more specifically Vietnam, the water supply is at a very low level. Their only option is to dig the wells deeper to access more water. This water has very dangerous levels of arsenic and is affecting 3 million people. No matter how deep you dig, you cannot avoid arsenic. Arsenic is becoming common in deep aquifers like it did in the shallow wells and the problem will just keep piggybacking. People thought that deeper aquifers meant no more arsenic but now they are drilling into lower sentiments. In their experiments of 512 wells, 27% of the wells violate World Health Organization standards. If the arsenic problem continues, they are going to need to start spending more money on filters. Arsenic can cause many problems including cancer and other diseases. The picture shown is what researchers use to see how contaminated each layer of the groundwater is. The map helps avoid dangerous areas but soon, that is all that is going to be left. The arsenic contamination is one of the most dangerous health threats in the world.

Opinion:
I think that that the extent of effort that people go through to get a natural resource is ridiculous and needs to change. People need water like they need oxygen and the fact the supply is depleting is scary. One thing that I found aggrivating is that when we watched the Jay-Z video in class, kids had cell phones but not clean water. If I were getting poisoned by something that I needed to live, I definitely would not spend money on something like a cell phone. America is worrying so much about all of these countries' water supplies but they need to get their priorities straight.

Questions:
What do you think people (from Asia or America) should do to avoid the arsenic problem?

Why do you think the arsenic level in Asia is so bad?

How can they get more water without spending too much money?

Removing Arsenic From Water With...Plastic Bottles and Nutrition Supplements?!

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/09/removing-arsenic-from-water-with-plastic-bottles-and-nutrition-supplements.php?campaign=th_rss

Picture:

This picture shows the removal of arsenic using pieces of water bottles. Arsenic in water is a serious problem, and this is a new solution to help fight the issue.

Summary:

Arsenic in people's water supply is a major issue, and it is getting worse. The American Chemical Society discovered that close to 100 million people are exposed to dangerous levels of arsenic from thier water. This is a potentially life threatening problem, but it is very expensive to fix. Therefore, a cheap solution is needed. Dr. Tsanangurayi Tongesayi discovered that using pieces of plastic bottles and a nutrient in dietary supplements is a cheap way to make water safe enough to drink. "Our process uses pieces of plastic water, soda pop and other beverage bottles. Coat the pieces with cysteine -- that's an amino acid found in dietary supplements and foods -- and stir the plastic in arsenic-contaminated water," said Tongesayi about the solution. The cysteine takes in the arsenic, so it is absorbed into the plastic. Then the water is drinkable for everyone. An experiment showed that in water containing 20 ppb of arsenic the plastic bottle and cysteine strategy brought the amount of arsenic down to 0.2 ppb. Plastic bottles are easily accessable and the addition of cysteine is an easy process, so giving clean, arsenic free water to everyone is now possible. Researchers are unsure of what negative effects this solution could have in the future, but for now this is the least expensive and most effective way to produce clean water.

Reflection:

I was very surprised when I read this article because I never knew that there was a possible solution for arsenic contamination in water. In class, we learned about different chemical contaminants in water, and arsenic is one that is located in many water supplies. I find it wonderful that using plastic bottles, a resource that so many people have, is a solution to such a terrible problem. Most people say that plastic bottles only hurt the environment, and they have no good qualities, but the bottles are helping to allow everyone the oppurtunity to drink clean water. My mom typically buys bottled water, and I usually say that we should use tap water because it is better for the environment and that bottled water has no positive impact on the environment. Now, I know I am wrong because the bottles do help the environment a major way. The bottles and cysteine may not always be the best solution, but for now it is making a huge difference to people who need clean water.

Questions:

1. Do you think this is a good solution to the problem of arsenic in water? Why?

2.Would you continue to buy products in plastic bottles knowing they have a positive impact on the environment?

3. Why do you think the use of plastic bottles will not be the best solution in the future?

Drugs In Drinking Water

Drugs in our Drinking Water: Prescription for Trouble by Sacca
http://nationalwatercouncil.org/?p=469
10/23/11
Picture: This is a picture of a faucet filling up a glass of water. This picture represents how you really do not know what is coming out of your faucet. You should make sure that your water is filtered and is healthy for you to be drinking.
Summary: For years Environmental engineers and medical experts have been researching the contaminates in the water we drink. It wasn't until recently that they have started looking at the drugs that could be found in our U.S. drinking water. "It is interesting that scientist only recently thought to look for drugs in our drinking water, given the fact that whatever passes through out bodies eventually ends up in our water system." Drugs like antibiotic, antidepressants, and more are taken everyday. Dr. David Oznoff said that, "The risk of disease associated with public drinking water has passed from the theoretical to real." Super microorganism could develop in your water from the chronic presence of low levels of antibiotics in your water supply. The worse part is if you became ill from the microorganisms, they might become resistant to antibiotics. To remove drugs from you water you should not use municipal water filtration systems because they are not made to remove synthetic chemicals, and that is exactly what prescription drugs are. There are some effective water treatments for your home. Multi-stage filtration systems are most effective for getting the job done right and removing all unwanted contaminates. Having a good purification system will keep your water healthy and clean.
Opinion/Reflection
I was very surprised when I read this article. I almost felt disgusted that there could be so many things in our water that could harm us. I am glad that the environmental engineers and medical experts are researching now so that maybe they can find a solution to the problem. I am also glad that there are ways to ensure that your water is clean. It is also scary to think that water that is intended to be good for you could cause you to become ill with no cure.
Question:
1. Do you think this issue will increase or decrease over time? Why?
2. Do you think people today would care enough to go out and buy a water purifier?
3. Why do you think this has just recently become a problem?  

EPA Finalizes Plan to Clean Up Contaminated Ground Water at Tri-Cities Barrel Superfund Site in Broome County, N.Y.

Release date: 10/20/2011 http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/5132A990C186059E8525792F00596107


Around the Tri-Cities Barrel Superfund Site in New York, the groundwater was found to be contaminated. The area which is 15 acres total in land was contaminated between 1960 and 1980 by the company. The company was using a series of harsh chemicals to restore and clean used barrels and drums. The chemicals used specifically for cleaning were making the groundwater and nearby lagoon extremely unclean. The EPA found out and forced the company to remove all contaminated drums, barrels, and any other items. The structures on-site were demolished and any left over debri was taken away to be disposed of. The question then became, "How do we decontaminate the groundwater and lagoon?" Members of the EPA came up with three options. They could either do nothing, take out the contaminants themselves by extracting the water and cleaning it, or let the contaminants break down naturally while being monitered. They decided in 2003that the best plan would be to take it out themselves. Today, the EPA has found that even without their efforts to take the contaminants, the contaminants were being brokem down naturally. This has become great news for the lagoon and groundwater and for environmental research. Now the EPA knows that this is another method that could very much be a successful way to decontaminate groundwater and other water sources in the future.

I think that this issue shouldn't have happened to begin with. It is a horrible thing that this company was using these harmful chemicals which hurt our environment. At the same time I think the issue could benefit us a lot now. Researches now know more about the way that groundwater can be cleaned naturally. I think this will help us in the future when things like this happen again. It is an issue that really hurt our environment, but might benefit us in the longrun. Hopefully, researches can come up with even more methods to decontamination knowing the outcome of the groundwater incident.

Questions:
1. Do you think that manually taking out the contaminants or letting them naturally break down is the better method?
2. How could the contaminated water effected humans and the species living in the ground?
3. What types of precautions could be made today, to make sure that a problem like this doesn't occur again?

The Crucial Role of Predators: A New Perspective on Ecology

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_crucial_role_of_predators_a_new_perspective_on_ecology/2442/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29 
animals.nationalgeographic.com

Picture:
This is a picture of an african lion. This species is a predator apart of the tropic cascade.
Summary:
This article is about how scientist are starting to realize how important the predators are in our ecosystems. The predators impact all other species in the food chain. In Africa the population of lions have decreased significantly. The numbers are as low as 23,000 and the tiger is near extinction. "Experts on predation have become increasingly convinced that ecosystems are ruled from the top." Experiments show that food chains have been damaged due to the removal of predators. Other examples are that, the removal of wolves would unleashed a large amount of deer. The marine systems have also been disturbed. The destruction of Great Sharks along the eastern seaboard affected rays and caused the collapse of a scallop fishery. Food chain effects caused by adding or removing the top species is called a tropic cascade. Researches are accumulating money to examine predator removal. We need to realize that great white sharks, wolves, tigers, jaguars, and all other top predators are important because they are always portrayed to have little value.
Opinion/Reflection:
I was surprised when I came across this article because this situation is not spoken about very often. I think It is very important to become aware about these type of things. I found it interesting that scientist think that ecosystems are ruled from the top. This article shows that all animals in the food chain are important and connected in some type of way. You never know which species could cause another to collapse. I think it is important for researchers to find out more information on this issue.
Questions: 
What do you think causes the population decrease of these predators if they are at the top of the food chain?
What could you do to help prevent tropic cascade from happening?
Do you think this topic is important enough for researchers to put money and time into an experiment?

In the News: Freshwater species in the Western Ghats under threat

http://blog.arkive.org/2011/09/freshwater-species-in-the-western-ghats-under-threat/
This is a picture of a water fall in Western Ghats that has been polluted.
Summary:
The biodiversity hotspot, Western Ghats, has a lot of freshwater areas. Unfortunately this fresh water is now a danger to organisms. This is not the only place where freshwater is dangerous, in fact, freshwater fish are known as the most threatened group with one third of risk towards extinction. The pollution is not only affecting the animals, it is also affecting the poor humans who depend on the freshwater areas. People are trying to convince politicians to act upon the problem and try and save the freshwater fish.
Opinion/Reflection:
I think it is ridiculous that politicians are not acting. The hotspot problem is not only affecting the animals, but their citizens too. Because there is so little freshwater anyway, the pollution is making it almost impossible to retrieve good water. The fish are dying, and soon the problem is going to make people die. If we don't act soon the pollution will be a lot more trouble than it already is. This is only about the Western Ghats but it really puts perspective on how many places and how bad this problem is getting.
Questions:
1. What do you think people should do about the freshwater pollution?
2. Why do you think politicians are not acting?
3. What other ways is the hot spot problem affecting organisms and people?

How Method Turns Plastic Pollution in the Ocean into Bottles

September 19, 2011
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/09/how-method-turns-plastic-pollution-in-the-oceans-into-bottles.php?campaign=th_rss

The soap company Method uses ocean plastic to make its bottles. After they made 100% of their bottles from post-consumer recycled plastic, Method wanted to think bigger. So, in 2011 Method came up with the idea to take bottles that are polluted in the ocean and recylce them to make their own soap bottles. They thought it was a great idea because they could take already recylced plastic and turn it into something that could be recycled over and over again. Well recently, Method achieved their goal. They partnered with Envision Plastics to create a completely post-consumer recylced bottle that is made up of 25% ocean plastic. It is a high quality bottle that has proven many people who doubted Method's new idea wrong.


Opinion:
My opinion on Method's new bottle is that they came up with a wonderful idea. I think it is way to get rid of polluting plastic in the ocean. I think that Method should be praised for setting such wonderful, environmental friendly goals. They could have taken the easy way out when people doubted their idea, but they believed in it and kept with it until they made it possible. I think that the new bottle will inspire other companies that use plastic to use the same concept of recycling ocean plastic.


Questions:
1.Do you think that more people will start to follow in Method's footsteps by using ocean plastic?

2.Do you think that with Method's creative idea that more people will be inspired to help the environment in this kind of way?

3. Do you think that people will buy the new Method bottle especially because it is made of ocean plastic.

Why are The Rainforests Disappearing

Article URL: http://www.theenviormentalblog.org/2011/09/rainforests-disappearing/

Picture:

This is a picture of a rain forest but right now they are disappearing. If the rain forest were to disappear even more, a lot of animals would lose their homes.

Summary: There are many worldwide enviormental problems going on, but one in particular is very important. The issue with the rain forests disappearing. Rain forests are one of the world greatest habitats. Rain forests give home to many species of animals and plants. Without the rain forests, we would not be able to live because they provide us with a good amount of oxygen. Between the years of 2000 and 2005, Brazil has lost more than 50,000 square miles of rain forest due to deforestation. Rain forests take millions of years to develop and grow therefore we are taking a big step back by cutting down trees and other things. Cattle Farmers are the main cause of the deforestation. They cut down large areas of rain forests to provide a home for their cattle farms. When people cut down the rain forest, the ground dries up in just a few years turning the area maybe into a dry desert. Another reason for deforestation is logging. Some types of rare wood like teak and mahogany grow in the forest and they are being cut down.

Opinion/ Reflection:

I am surprised that we are losing a lot of rain forests especially in Brazil. I think people should start doing something about it sooner because if we wait to long then they could be all gone. I find it interesting that cattle farmers cut down rain forests for their cattle. I believe we should take this event more seriously and do something about it soon.

Questions:

Why isnt the rain forest issue covered a lot more in the media?

Why cant the Cattle Farmers take their cattle somewhere else where there is open land?

Why is Brazil being affected the most out of all the countries in the world?

Scientist: 75 Percent of Coral Reefs are Threatened-but There's Hope!

Article URL: http://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=wy#search/exotic%20species

Picture:

This picture shows a dead reef on the right and a partially living reef on the left. Coral reefs are home to many organisms, so when they die, many species lose their homes.

Summary:

75% of the world's coral reefs are now in danger. This is not only due to the impact of humans, but it is also because of climate change of ocean temperatures and acidification. If the water gets too warm, the coral begins to bleach, and important algae that live in the reef are lost. The picture shows a reef that is dead because of a tsunami that hit it. Most of the threatened coral reefs are for the most part gone, but some are still healthy, but mostly the 75% are degraded reefs. Many areas are impacted by coral reefs, and without reefs, they would suffer. Places near reefs would lose a lot of tourists because the coral reefs are a great attraction. That means the economy in that area would have a downfall.

Opinion/Reflection:

I was surprised to see that so many coral reefs are in danger. Last year when we studied oceanography in science, we saw a video, and it showed coral reefs, but they were all healthy and beautiful. I also think that this issue should be reported more because I have not heard anything about it until reading this article. It is very important because many organisms live in coral reefs and therefore they are also threatened. This affects me because one of the things I would like to do in my life is to see the Great Barrier Reef, and there is a possibility that parts of it will be dead or bleached and there won't be as many organisms living there.

Questions:

1- How do you think we can help put an end to the dying of coral reefs?

2- If you were a scientist, how would you help the organisms that would not have a home if the coral reef they lived in died?

3- What would you do to help protect the reefs?