when darkness turns to light

Monday, May 21, 2007

Topic 1: Pig Farming in Poland

In recent years, increasing demand for cheap food are pushing countries such as Poland towards an intensive agricultural production and many pig factories have been established in Poland. From what I know, the pig factories have brought a lot of disadvantages to the locals greatly ever since they have been established.

First of all, these factories are set up near villages and local schools and thus the people living in that environment will be affected. This might cause health problems to the locals living in the vicinity as the pig factories give out an unpleasant stench to the environment. The make things worst, children with low immune systems living or studying in the vicinity will get sick more often! A local villager exclaimed that "We are very afraid for our health. Sometimes the smell is so bad that the local bus will not stop in our village." shows me the extent of the situation in the villages due to the pig factories that even “the local bus will not stop in our village.” From this villager’s remarks, it tells me that transportation would therefore be affected.

Other than this, since pig farming uses liquid manure which cause pollution! Secondly, if massive pig farming continues in Poland, more and more people will come to know about their pig farming practices and will think that Poland will be filled with pig stenches and thus as a result lesser tourists will want to travel to Poland on holiday. This will cause a major loss of revenue by the Polish government.

Thirdly, since pig farming does not need maximum number of manpower, there will be an increasing rate of unempolyment. However, on the other hand, the increase in pig factories may favor the polish economy as more food is exported as revenue. As a result, pig farmers will become wealthier and can improve their living conditions.

Till now, the conditions in Poland have yet to change, and the problem still persists on. A local resistance force of pig factories have been set up in efforts to drive the increasing number of pig factories away.

A solution to this problem is to persuade the government to reduce and limit the number of pig factories that can be established in Poland to control the stench affecting the locals. This is one way to save the environment by reducing the number of pig factories.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4035081.stm

Topic 2: Moses and the 10 plagues: caused by water pollution?

The first plague - river water turned to blood
The second plague - frogs
The third plague – gnats
The fourth plague - flies
The fifth plague - death of livestock
The sixth plague - boils
The seventh plague - hail
The eighth plague - locusts
The ninth plague - darkness
The tenth plague - death of the firstborn

These ten plagues had caused a majority of the population in Egypt to be wiped out. The pfisteria theory provides one explanation of the first six plagues. The cause of this was found to be water pollution.

The pollution had come from a pig farm further up the river. Millions of gallons of pig-waste had found its way into the river, causing a genetic mutation in a marine micro-organism called pfisteria; turning it from harmless into lethal. The river had been poisoned and caused the fish to die, thus turning the river red; the pollution would have driven the frogs onto the land, and since on land the frogs would die, many flies and lice will be attracted to feed on the dead frogs. The flies could then have transmitted viral diseases to livestock, killing them.

All this shows the seriousness of water pollution if it is not properly controlled! When the river is polluted, marine life will be affected and thus will die. This will cause food poisoning among those who have consumed seafood. Other than that, if marine life is forced to live on land due to harsh polluted conditions of the water, they will not be able to survive on land and thus die. This then results in flies and insects attracted to the dead species and will cause an increase in diseases as the files carry the diseases with them and harm mankind.

Although this happened a long time ago, it is to remind us the consequences of not controlling water pollution properly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions
/judaism/history/moses_4.shtml

Topic 3: Harbin leak in China

The Harbin leak in China is another example of water pollution caused by chemicals. Harbin, a state which has a rough population of 3.8m has been affected by the chemical spill by a chemical plant. From what I know, this toxic leak is approximately 80km long and is said to affect Russia’s Amur river which provides water for some 500,000 citizens.

This oil leak will cause environmental and health problems to both countries’ citizens. Firstly, citizens that have yet to be informed of the leak might go out fishing and catching marine life. If they consume their seafood catches, they might suffer from food poisoning. Besides that, fishermen who fish in these areas will not be able to fish there anymore and will have no income during the cleaning up of the river. Drinking water will also be affected in Russia and thus result in water shortage in a certain state.

Secondly, marine life will be affected. Fishes will be poisoned by the chemicals and will die as a result of this. Other marine life that feeds on fishes will also be poisoned and die from it. Countries have installed solutions to control and clear up the chemical spill. For example, China has asked soldiers and workers to install special charcoal filters for the city's water system, which can remove impurities from the water.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific
/4474284.stm

Topic 4: Pearl river delta and Yellow river

Chemical plants near rivers pose a safety threat in China. If a chemical spill occurs in these chemical plants, marine life and the population will be adversely affected. There will be water shortage due to the spill and marine life will be poisoned.

From the lines “He acknowledged that in the past the government had valued economic growth above environmental degradation, but that its priorities were now changing.” tells me that it is a good thing since China has changed its priorities and take more responsibility in taking care of the environment and pollution problem in China. This shows that China assures people that the chemical content in the water will not rise.

From what I understand, the leaks in China has taught China to be more careful when dealing with chemical plants.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific
/4642090.stm

Topic 5: How healthy are barbequed foods?

This article is about safety while handling raw and cooked food together. Handling raw food, and incorrect cooking which includes burning food can all cause food poisoning! As we all know, raw food contains a lot of bacteria and germs and hence we have to cook/steam in high temperatures to get rid of most of the bacteria and germs in the food. Hence, incorrect cooking causes food poisoning to the consumer.

To prevent food poisoning, various methods are introduced to keep our body healthy while enjoying barbequed foods. Firstly, it is best to wash your hands before handling food and have a thick pair of oven gloves when handling hot tools. Secondly, keep separate tongs , one for handling raw food, and the other for cooked food.Thirdly, ensure that food like meat and sausages are cooked properly without any pink meat left and are to be kept hot.

Last but not least, overcooked food are harmful! It is advised not to consume food which are overcooked or have black, burnt spots. People are responsible for their own health, we can only advise them, but we have no right to stop them from eating what they want.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast
/4585353.stm

Topic 6: Pesticides in a third of all our foods

Pesticides are man’s best friend when it comes to dealing with those pesky insects flying and crawling around. But over reliance of pesticides cause adverse effects on human health if foodstuffs contain pesticides that are over the health limit.

Causes of increased usage of pesticides to foodstuffs may be because farmers are no longer as hardworking as in the past in keeping out pests from their output. Now, they simply spray pesticides on the grown food and as long as their output is acceptable by the public, they do not care about the after effects of spraying too much pesticide.

This article shows surveys that food sent to local schools have chemical traces slightly below or equal to the legal limits. From what I know, spraying of pesticides to food does not only affect the food negatively, but it also deals damage to the soil. This is another form of land pollution. A professor in environmental health exclaimed "At very low levels they are not a concern to health. We are all exposed to chemicals in the environment every day, but whether they are toxic or not is down to the level of the dose." which tells me that if the level of dose of pesticides in food increases, it will affect public health and may even lead the food poisoning.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5384138.stm

Topic 7: Pesticides: Good or bad?

There are good and bad sides of using pesticides. In this article, it explains the disadvantages of pesticides to the community. Firstly, an interview with a local living in rural areas exclaimed “My first child was born partially sighted and asthmatic” shows me that it was the effect of the over-spraying of pesticides that caused babies to develop abnormally. There were also reports that locals have become ill due to the pesticides.

All this shows that pesticides are harmful for human health if an overdose is used. Many pesticides are poisonous to humans. Besides pesticides being harmful for public health, overdose of pesticides damage the soil! The use of pesticides also decreases biodiversity in the soil. Not using them results in higher soil quality with the additional effect that more life in the soil allows for higher water retention.

However, on the other hand, pesticides this enables farmers to protect their crops from nasty bugs, from mould and fungi and from weeds. It's absolutely vital for farmers to have crop protection products so that their outputs appear beautiful and attractive because bugs have not destroyed it.

Attempts of anti-pesticides campaign have been set u, but it has been repeatedly dismissed and ignored by the government and its advisers in favour of maintaining the status quo and protecting chemical company interests.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/
politics_show/ 3873761.stm

Topic 8: Mothballs: not just for humans

Mothballs are used by humans to keep insects out of closets etc. Surprisingly, termites have some of the same characteristics as mothballs. According to the article, termites use it to keep away the their natural enemies such as ants, poisonous fungi and nematode worms.

From my point of view, I think this is a disadvantage because mothballs will be useless while dealing with termites. Termites would then cause heavy damage to wood furniture in houses.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/76115.stm

Topic 9: e-waste recycling in India

This article addresses problems in India where large amounts of heavy metals(computer parts) are thrown to countries such as India. These e-waste contain a lot of toxic material in them, some examples are mercury, lead, flame retardants and copper wires. As a result, this waste may be hazardous to citizens in India. When extracting or reconditioning these computers, you release these heavy metals and these chemicals.

These are disasters to the environment as pollution occurs. Computer recycling involves employing people to strip down the computers and extract parts that can be used again. The remainder is then burned or dumped, both of which are potentially harmful to the environment. The process of extraction uses all kinds of chemicals, which then get dumped into the soil and go into the groundwater. When things like PVC-covered copper wire are burnt, emissions of very toxic chemicals like dioxins, are released into the environment.

Besides that, the recycling process is also harm the health of employers paid to do it. Preventive measures have been carried out and used. For example, workers would have to wear masks before recycling the computers, and have advised suppliers to be more environment friendly while dealing with computers.

Computer parts stacking
up causing a pollution
problem!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/
3307815.stm

Topic 10: Effect of mining activities on the environment & human health

Mining and smelting activities have wiped out much of the beautiful forest that once sat on the heart of kola peninsula. Much of the trees have been cut down or destroyed due to mining activities. If more and more trees are cut down, severe deforestation will occur which will be harmful on both the environment and human health.

Firstly, due to the amount of trees decreasing, there would be more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as there are no trees to convert it into oxygen. Hence, locals living near there might have a harder time breathing as usual because of the depletion of trees resulting in a depletion of oxygen in the surroundings.Furthermore, this intensive cutting down of trees will contribute to global warming! Other than that, towns and cities near the area has suffered from high emissions of sulphur dioxide harmful to public health. Mining activities also have adverse effects on surrounding surface and ground water if protection measures are not exercised.

Secondly, Kola peninsulas’ drinking water are said to be high in iron and chemicals and is quite unsafe to drink. Furthermore, workers employed in mining projects suffer from ill health. If mining works carry on, more lakes and rivers will be destroyed and public health will continue to deteriorate!

However, on the other hand, these mining activities have helped improve the Russian economy as nickel prices have recently rose a considerably high price. Sadly, the environment has nothing to gain but just irreversible destruction for mining activities.

Efforts of controlling emissions have been set up to hopefully control these sulphur dioxide emissions, and have created measures to minimize the impact of the environment while mining. Other then that, Modern mining companies in many countries are now required to follow strict environmental and rehabilitation codes, ensuring the area mined is returned to close to its original state, or an even better environmental state than before mining took place.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business
/6103382.stm
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining

Topic 11: Pollution in the Baltic Water

Pollution is a serious problem in the Baltic Sea. This is because of Russia’s pollution to the Baltic Sea. Russia discharges its sewage flow via the Baltic Sea and has caused quite a stir between Sweden where fishing is essential to the Swedish economy. If Russia continues to discharge its waste into the Baltic sea, eventually, it will affect the Swedish side of the Baltic Sea and fishermen would have to stop fishing there because the fish might already have been poisoned and not suitable to be consumed. If this continues, not only will marine life suffer, people will also suffer due to the bad treatment of water in the sea.

Steps taken to build a waste water plant in Russia has constantly been prioritized over due to its cost. In my opinion, Russia should learn to be more environment-friendly and stop its pollution to the Baltic sea! Even without building waste water plants, sewage can be dealt with using other methods other then just dumping it into the sea.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business
/6103382.stm

Topic 12: Mercury poisoning: Siberia

Mercury is an environmental hazard and if it is not treated carefully, will result in severe consequences. An example of this is the case of mercury poisoning in Siberia. Mercury emissions from a polluted industrial site in Siberia has posed a huge threat to public health and the environment. Reports have stated that more than 1,500 tonnes of metallic mercury has seeped into the soil and rivers.

This causes both land and water pollution! As a result, the soil will become infertile and water will be polluted with toxins. Worst of all, this pollution has affected newborn babies and pregnant women! Mercury poisoning is so harmful that people would die from mercury poisoning. Unfortunately, local residents still continue to eat the fishes in the contaminated rivers which are poisoned.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe
/2062595.stm

Topic 13: Cadmium in fertilizers/peanuts: Oz

Cadmium is a naturally occurring mineral which can cause kidney damage if large amounts are eaten. It is found in a wide range of foods including green leafy vegetables, root vegetables, meat, kidneys, seafood and peanuts. Too much cadmium causes harm to the human body as it is an ingredient in fertilizers. Cadmium accumulates in human kidneys and can cause renal dysfunction in vulnerable groups, and the margin of safety between current exposures and concentrations at which health effects can occur is relatively small.

Various measures have been taken to reduce Cadmium intake. For example, Food Standards have already adopted a new level for cadmium in peanuts of 0.1mg/kg subject to advice on health issues. This can reduce the intake of cadmium taken by people while enjoying meat and vegetables.

http://www.environmental-expert.com/articles
/article1346/article1346.htm

Topic 14: Bhopal Gas tragedy

The Bhopal Gas tragedy happened in a densely populated region in India, a poisonous vapor burst from the tall stacks of the Union Carbide pesticide plant. This vapor was a highly toxic cloud of methyl isocyanate. Of the 800,000 people living in Bhopal at the time, 2,000 died immediately, and as many as 300,000 were injured. In addition, about 7,000 animals were injured, of which about one thousand were killed. A further results showed that many of the survivors were still suffering from one or several of the following ailments: partial or complete blindness, gastrointestinal disorders, impaired immune systems, post traumatic stress disorders, and menstrual problems in women.

From this tragedy, it shows how powerful air pollution done by chemicals can be, to the extent of 2,000 people died immediately and a huge amount of people injured. This tragedy was compared to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during WW2, as both situations were almost deadly and caused the later generations to face abnormalities.

From this tragedy, the accident started when a tank containing methyl isocyanate leaked and mixed with water. An exothermic reaction was formed and a lot of heat was produced, hence the burst. I think workers empolyed in the chemical platns should be more professional and be more cautious about these hazards. They should bear heavy responsibility to any accidents such as chemical leaks. This will teach them to be more careful while checking the chemical plants.

http://www.hu.mtu.edu/hu_dept/
tc@mtu/papers/bhopal.htm

Topic 15: Greenhouse effect

Greenhouse Effect is commonly used to describe the increase in the Earth's temperature that has been recorded. However, without the natural greenhouse effect, life on Earth would be different .

Greenhouse effect occurs when the energy warms the Earth's surface, and as the temperature increases, some energy is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere. There are four main naturally occurring gases that are responsible for the Greenhouse Effect; water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Once these gases absorb energy, the gas particles begin to vibrate and some energy is reflected back towards Earth. The atmosphere acts like a blanket which covers the Earth to “keep it warm” but over the years, the Earth gets warmer and warmer each year because of increased amount of greenhouse gases and increased use of CFC's.

Other then natural greenhouse gases, the contribution to increase of greenhouse gases are partly because of extensive use of fluorocarbons (CFC). From what I have learnt, extensive usage of CFC’s only occurred since the industrial revolution, where more and more gases were emitted out. Human activities have also resulted in an increase in natural greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. Human activities, such as deforestation has lead to a significant increase in amount of carbon dioxide in our surroundings. Less trees mean more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and an increased greenhouse effect, which in turn means more global warming, thus increasing the amount of greenhouse gases.

Hence, an increase in these gases in the atmosphere enhances the atmosphere's ability to trap heat, which leads to the Earth’s temperature increasing! When the temperature on Earth increases, icebergs in the North and South Pole will melt and will cause a rise in water level. This is dangerous to low-coastal countries if the problem is not controlled as these countries might face flooding in the later years.

Efforts have been made to reduce the usage of CFC’s and countries have started taking measures in protecting the natural environment. For example, Singapore has done its part by setting up nature reserves such as the bukit timah nature reserve to conserve the environment and prevent deforestation in that area to occur.

The greenhouse effect cycle shown
above.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_effect

The End :D

My mind's unweaving/ 12:56 AM

Sunday, May 20, 2007

After reading and understanding the topics, it all boils down to the question..
"CAN THE EARTH BE SAVED?"

Why should the Earth be saved? It is because Earth is the only place human beings and living things can live in, thus we must do our best to protect and save it! Saving the Earth would also mean all living organisms and humans will be able to carry on with life and not face extinction! Other than that, in the 1st place, it was mankind who destroyed and detoriate Earth's natural beauty, thus it is only right that humans bear the responsibility and fix up what they have done.

Why shouldnt the Earth be saved then?! Since the Earth has already been destroyed by mankind, it is highly unlikely that people will try to save the Earth now! People overwhelmed with greed will neglect the environment for their own interests. For example, if there is an increasing demand in wood furniture, people would be cutting down trees so fast the trees would have no time to regenerate! The Earth now is already polluted ,facing global warming and much of the beautiful scenery and vast canopy of trees have far become just a mere imagination in our minds. This kind of scenery has already almost been "extinct" in this society now. So why not let the Earth detoriate further rather then to fix up wad mankind has done to Earth themselves?

In my opinion, yes, the Earth can still be saved if countries all around world cooperate and stop further destruction to the Earth. The 1st step to saving the Earth is to educate other countries that the Earth does not only belong to one country, it belongs to every country regardless of its size! Every country has a part to play. Furthermore, countries should make an effort in saving the environment and not develop an ECONOMY first, than ENVIRONMENT mindset! A lot of things are needed to be done to save the Earth and it is a worldwide effort.

Firstly, we all know the government & media is the most influential source of letting people be informed of upcoming campaigns and stuff. This can let people know about the Earth's situation now and create more awareness in protecting the Earth. For example, the government can establish campaigns on saving the Earth (eg; 3R's campaign) and the media can telecast documentaries and talk shows on the future of mankind and the environment if people keep on destroying the Earth. this is to inform people about its seriousness if the long term damage done to Earth carries on.

Secondly, Industries have also a part to play. These highly-specialized industries (eg;chemical industries) need to find ways to reduce the pollution they have given out.

Thirdly, People around the world should also do their part. For example, Drivers should have the courtesy to install catalytic converters on their vehicles to reduce pollution too. Some people might think "if i do not install a converter in my vehicle, it wont make much of a difference in dealing with pollution, its only ONE vehicle." This mindset is totally wrong because if 100,000 people think this way and do not install converters to their exhuast pipes, the pollution will still
add up to a large amount. Besides that, people should be more careful when handling toxics. Oil spills, chemical plant leakage can all be avoided if workers are more cautious while handling their work.

Fourthly, Technology also have a part to play. In general, technology is the relationship that society has with its tools and crafts, and to what extent society can control its environment. Yes, it is true that the world is facing problems such as water shortage, pollution and spread of diseases, all partly due to technology improving at a fast rate. As technology advances at a fast pace, many technological processes produce many unwanted by-products and deplete natural resources to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. These by-products will create pollution in water,land and air. There is no perfect solution to wipe out pollution completely even but doing away with technology, but there are ways to REDUCE pollution. For Example, since technology has created cars for human uses, air pollution can be reduced by placing catalytic converters on the exhuast pipes of cars.

In water pollution, humans also have a part to play in reducing water pollution. No doubt, technology has done a big part in contributing to water pollution by its fair share of emitting hardmful chemicals to water, but humans too should stop throwing waste into the sea and contaminate them with chemicals and toxins. Chemical industries should handle their chemical waste properly and not discard them into the seas, lakes or rivers. This causes marine life to be affected and when humans consume seafood(eg; fish) they will get food poisoning!

However, on the other hand, technology can help some of these problems the world is facing! For example, In the past, Singapore had to rely on Malaysia for its water supplies. But now, Singapore can reduce the cost of buying water from Malaysia since it has its own desalination plant. A desalination plant might be an invention, but it requires a certain amount of technology to apply it into usage. Certainly, this doesnt mean Singapore can totally stop buying water from Malaysia, but it is a solution to stop Malaysia from thinking that they can exploit Singapore by increasing the water prices. All this is given credit to the technological advances which has enabled clean potable water to be produced from dirty water. In this way, Singapore can solve its water shortage problem and can still provide short term water supplies to the citizens in case of emergency. From what i understand, campaigns such as 3R's ( reduce, reuse and recycle) have been established in attempt to control or reduce pollution in the environment.

Last of all, the spread of diseases can also be reduced and managed well without doing away with technology. Instead, we should be grateful to the technological advances because it has helped us reseach and find cures of some diseases early people have faced. For example, Tuberculosis(TB) was once a 'deadly' disease which the early people couldnt cure. This was because technology wasnt as advanced at that time. Now, tuberculosis can be easily treated with antibiotics. Besides that, the recent SARS(Severe acute respiratory syndrome) a few years ago has shown the effectiveness of technology. A SARS vaccine was produced not long after the pandemic and the disease was controlled not long after.To conclude, everything has its two sides of a coin. This also applies the same to techonology. We cannot totally wipe out technology in the world, and these pollution and water shortage problems can be reduced with the cooperation of countries by working together to reduce these problems.

Lastly, farmers should reduce the use of pesticides(CFC's) on their crops because pesticides are poisonous and if an extensive dose is used on the crops, comsumers will get food poisoning. Other than that, these pesticides contain CFC's which harms the ozone layer! Similarly, households who spray a lot of pesticides when they notice bugs around should do so LESS OFTEN and can adapt a more 'hands-on approach' when it comes to dealing with bugs.

To summarise, it is still possible to save the environment by observing the small details we tend to ignore(eg; installing catalytic converters in vehicles) and be more environmental friendly to save OUR environment.
TOGETHER, WE CAN SAVE THE EARTH :D

My mind's unweaving/ 4:04 PM