We Only Have One Earth!

A weekly guide to protecting and sustaining our natural world. Every action we take affects how the people of Earth uses forest resources. Written by a current Forest and Natural Resource Managment major at the University of Minnesota.

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Resource overuse: Is it too late?

Human population has nearly reached seven and a half billion and it does not show any sign of slowing.1 The planet’s aggregate natural resources aren’t sustainable at the present need. The means in which we are currently exploiting nature uses two to three times greater than what is supportable. If the path we are going down continues, the costs of exhausting resources means the earth will cease to support life.  As exhaustion the planet’s natural resources approach, the government and reserved businesses involved in resource trade have demonstrated unenthusiastic action to adequately address the overexploitation of limited reserves of materials. There are two foreseeable outcomes of this issue: We keep overexploiting resources until they are used up or we learn to efficiently manage and keep track of our remaining resources.

1.     "Current World Population." World Population Clock: 7.5 Billion People (2017) - Worldometers. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.

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Developing Countries: Key to World Climate Change Issues

As humanity progresses further into the post-industrial developmental stages of civilization, we face many growing issues that pose a threat to our livelihood. As the world becomes obese with population, we see issues such as water scarcity, poor land use, and waste management issues become prominent topics for discussion. Of all the activities and interests of the entire world, assisting developing countries on their conquest of progression seems to elude the list. If the entire world were past the point of major development, there would be a mutual understanding and a much higher capability for the world to cooperate and collaborate on environmental issues that pose threats to our health and safety. While developing countries are left to their own devices, developed countries are prosperous and already have advanced technology and programs to manage interests such as the EPA and NPS to name a few. First, one must ponder if it moral to ignore developing countries, whom lack the backbone structure that programs and organizations offer. The simple answer is no. The lack of teamwork to diminish environmental impact internationally needs to be fixed before humans cause catastrophic damage to the earth or ourselves.

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Air Pollution Crisis

A huge issue all humans face today worldwide is air pollution. There are numerous contributors to the total percentage of emissions, the top three being industrial activity, transportation, and agriculture.1 Reducing pollutants emitted into the air is an essential component to stopping the crisis of climate change. Although we have made great changes to reduce our total emissions, it still has not been enough change to impact the diminishing quality of air and rapid advance of climate change. A problem worldwide, especially in developing countries, is that changing functions and programs to work for the benefit of the environment can be costly and challenging to start up. However, regulating emission release worldwide can offer a simpler, and potentially incentivized system of the sale and trade of carbon credits. With an environmentally oriented program implemented on an international level, the developmental stage of the nation no longer matters and can offer a system to further progress in the world. The policy known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is a regulation that can create a bridge of cooperation on a global scale. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, “REDD will provide economic incentives for forest conservation by placing a value on living forests and their ecosystems, recognizing the significant contribution they provide to the Earth’s climate through carbon storage”.2 Since forests left standing will be rewarded, deforestation will decline and emissions are drastically reduced immediately after the implementation of the policy.

1.     "Urban Air Pollution – What Are the Main Sources across the World? - EU Science Hub - European Commission." EU Science Hub. N.p., 07 Oct. 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.

2.     Long, Andrew. "REDD+ and Indigenous Peoples in Brazil." Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples (n.d.): 151-77. Environmental Defense Fund. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2017.

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Impacts of Damming Rivers

A dam is a common means of controlling and manipulating the flow of streams and rivers. The primary function of a dam is to constrict and reduce the volume of water flowing. Secondary uses available in result of the dam include recreation, industry, hydroelectric, and irrigation. Although dams offer a wide range of benefits, they also harbor hindrances and drawbacks. Prominent issues associated within regions surrounding dams can be categorized by their location in respect to the dam. The first, and most obvious, is the problems faced down river. Next is the direct impact of the dam’s placement. Lastly, the artificial body of water, a side product caused by the dam. The impact bellow inherited in result of the dam limits the biological diversity, reduces the propagation of crop plants, and lowers the overall population of aquatic inhabitants. The dam itself alters the natural flow characteristic of the river, which in turn impacts the original sedimentary depositing behavior. The artificial reservoir created by the dam dislocates all activities that used to happen within the area. Dams offer a primitive solution to water use, which is outdated and in need of innovative new solutions.

[1]. "Problems With Big Dams." International Rivers. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.

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EPA Budget Decreases: Larger than Expected

Reductions suggested to the EPA might be beyond initial estimation, implying greater decreases than 25% of the organization's financial plan. Debates are continuing concerning these decreases, which are anticipated to contain allowances to states intended for defending natural resources. President Trump and his advisors stated a plan that increased defensive expenditure by fifty-four billion whilst reducing non-defense agendas by similar. Though features on the financial plan reductions were not specified, the presidency assumes the EPA will be the core focus. When the financial plan decreases were initially planned, there was extensive apprehension inside the agency that the transformations would intensely modify the purpose of the agency.

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Wildflowers are Important to Bees

Reintroducing flowers native to a region will help to attract pollinators, especially bees. Not only will planting wildflowers give pollinators like bees a resting and feeding place, but it will allow for them to thrive. Natural flowers are particularly tailored to the environment and circumstances of a region, and outfit the native setting, minus disturbing the equilibrium of the ecosystem. Indigenous flowers are best for attracting pollinators, and preferably each plot must contain at a minimum a couple species of flora. By mimicking natural areas untouched by the uniformity brought on by the agricultural revolution, we give a chance to pollinators like bees, who help to pollinate our crops. It is likely that shops in an area located near you will have numerous wildflower species for sale, so plant flowers for pollinators!

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Watershed Management in Minnesota--Sulfide Mining

The latest innovations in mineral mining equipment and elevated metal value in the market mean that the state’s low-quality sulfide ore could be mined profitably. Numerous businesses are presently investigating ore deposits, coming up with mine propositions, and running through the ecological appraisal progression in the northeastern part of the state. Long-standing acid water contamination — for example, PolyMet’s business plan displays upwards of five-hundred years of contaminated water requiring processing. Mercury pollution in the environment will increase among all trophic levels of the food chain. These costly cleansing procedures regularly becomes a burden to taxpayers. The quarrying and related contamination, sound, and additional severe effects in and around the areas surrounding mines possess potentially environmentally dangerous consequences.

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Reduce Your Waste, Save our Space.

The average American produces four pounds of waste daily, amounting to over one thousand-six hundred pounds of waste per year. [1] But where does this waste end up? Of the 220 million tons of waste produced on an annual basis, a little over half of it ends up in landfills. Roughly two-thirds of our trash is biodegradable. [2] This means that although we have the means to naturally dispose this two-thirds, we throw it away. Surprisingly, we throw away a bulk of trash that have the capability of being recycled. If we continue the ways in which we deal with trash, we will eventually run out of room and need to discover a new solution to displace waste. Some ways we can reduce our waste production is to recycle everything possible, participate in composting, and buy biodegradable plastic alternative products.

 [1]. "GREEN AMERICAN." Green America: Growing the Green Economy for People and the Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.

[2]. "How Much Do We Waste Daily?" Center for Sustainability & Commerce. Duke University, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.

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Little changes, big difference: Altering the way we use our forest land.

Everyone can do their part to lessen the impact humans have on our forests. Even the smallest change in daily practices can have a great impact. By reducing forest resource intake and waste, we can recuperate air quality, supply access to stable water source, and allow nature to thrive.

These alterations include:

·      Reduce, reuse, recycle: Paper use- Rather than printing off various documents, go electronic. This can be done at home, school, and the office. Instead of buying books, visit your local library. If it is necessary to print, use double-sided printing, and reformat bigger documents to save paper. By printing less, communally we can work together to reduce paper consumption.

·      Cut consumption of meat, especially beef: According to an article, first published in 2005 by Corporate Knights, “In Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, for every cow, 2.5 acres of forest disappear; for every quarter pound hamburger from a cleared rainforest, fifty-five square feet of rainforest is destroyed”. A vegetarian diet requires 1/6th the land to produce their yearly food consumption compared to that of average meat consumers. [1] By diminishing meat intake we decrease the overall impact on rainforests.

·      Spread the word to family and friends: The more support and action each person contributes can and will have an impact on the greater use of forest related resources.

We rely on our forestlands for resources such as food, water, air filtration, construction, and more. By making smarter lifestyle choices, every person can help impact the ways the entire earth uses forest resources.

 [1]. “Ten Ways to Preserve Our Forests." Earth: EarthFuture.com. Corporate Knights, 2005. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.