Poisoning The Well

Article

1. Is it, by definition, 'sustainable' to keep polluting aquifers? Why or why not?

2. What are the dangers of polluting the aquifers now and in 50 years?

China and its Climate

Read this article and answer the two following questions:

1- What is the cause of "the conflict between humankind and nature"?

2- What is the Chinese government's plan to improve the situation?

Read this article and answer the following questions:

1. What is the main contributing factor that is causing the sea level to increase? How does it do this?

2. Is there any way to prevent the sea level increase from occurring?

Read this article on loss of biodiversity in forest and the impacts on the earth and our civilization(the title should say "Loss Of Forest Equates To A Loss Of Many Species"), and answer these two questions.

1. What are 2 impacts on us and our civilization that could be a result of decreasing biodiversity and why are these impacts significant?

2. What trends can be seen from the deforestation graph and what possibly could be a reason these trends have happened.

Nuclear Filters


Nuclear Filters Article

Questions:

1. Why does the US want to put vents in nuclear reactors and what is a disadvantage for them?

2. In your opinion, do you think that nuclear power plants should be used? (Take into consideration cost, safety, energy output, and environmental factors) 

Centralia

 

Centralia article

 

What is causing the uninhabitable conditions? Why were people forced to abandon their homes?

Why did workers quit trying to control the fire?

Acid Rain

Acid Rain Article

1. What did Likens and Odén find about acid rain? What region of the U.S was most effected and what lead them to this conclusion?

2. In the 1970s what did Likens find in the Adirondack Mountains? What caused this, and what were the effects on this ecosystem?

Human carrying capacity and our need for a parachute

Read the article and answer the questions!

1. Give 2 examples of how the human population has 'fallen out of favor'. Give a brief (like 2-5 sentence) explaination.
2. Explain the significance of the joke, “An economist and an ecologist have fallen from a tall building. The ecologist is panicking but the economist remains calm. Don’t worry, she says: “demand will create a parachute." using information from the article.

Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring"

Read this article and answer the following questions.

1. Was Carson advocating for the banning of all the chemicals? What was she worried about?
2. Discuss why was Silent Spring so effective in arousing public concern? Carson was thought to be "hysterical" and "unqualified." Did people still believe her findings?

Cities of the Future

Read this short article and answer the following questions.
1. How much waste does New York produce in an hour? How could this waste be used in the future?
2. How may buildings be built in the future? Do you think that this method of building will be practical?

Grey Wolves in Yellowstone

Read this article about the effects of the reintroduction of the Grey Wolf into Yellowstone National Park, and answer the following questions:
1) Discuss the effects of the reintroduction of the wolf into Yellowstone, and why this species has created these changes.
2) Why, according to scientists, is the documentation of the reintroduction a "rare, almost unique, opportunity?"

Wildfires in the Mid-West

Read this article on wildfires in the Midwest over the past 20 years and answer these questions.

1. Why can't burnt forests regenerate as fast as they previously have been known to do and how do scientists know that?

2. What is different between the fires occurring in the past 20 years and fires earlier in the regions history and have humans had an influence on this difference in the fires?

Read  this article  to the end of paragraph 7 ending with the words "about 125,000" years ago then answer these questions.

1.How come the Dead sea has been shrinking so rapidly? Is it all due to human usage?

2.Why are researchers so interested in continuing to drill and finding out more about this area?

Anasazi of Chaco Canyon

read this article and answer these questions

1. what allowed the Anasazi to live for so long in a dry climate?

2. from the reading, what conclusions can be made about the Anasazi disappearance, and what could have helped prevent it?

Mayan Civilization

Read this short article about the Mayan civilization and its rise and fall. We will be studying more about the collapse in the New Green History readings. Feel free to watch the video linked at the bottom of the article from NOVA Science Now.

1. What do you think caused the collapse of the Mayan civilization?

2. How could this scenario have been avoided? Does this hold lessons for current environmental management?