The Final Assignment

Sustainability is the ability of earth's various systems, including human cultural systems and economies, to survive and adapt to changing evironmental conditions indefinitely. There are many issues at hand that can unnerve anybody with an educated mind. One of biggest issues I feel is out there is global warming. Despite the banning of CFCs, much of the world is still polluting the atmosphere. Factories, millions of cars, and industry are pumping tons of toxic pollutants and CO2 into atmosphere, killing the Ozone. In unregulated countries such as India, there are no laws that govern the industry there and thus, the factories pump mind boggling amounts of toxic pollutants. The rapidly changing climate is leading to warmer temperature, thus affecting the polar regions. The ice is melting and leaving the animals there, like the polar bear, without places to live. In a video, it once stated that a polar bear once swam many miles just to find dry land. Another issue consuming more than we need, in general, the Earth's resources either it be coal, fuel, food, materials, or oil. Many developed countries, especially the U.S., consume more than they need. The developed countries consume more materials than it can be replaced. At one point in time, we will leave the Earth scarce of its natural goods and leaving the environment scarred.

Poverty is a huge issue, especially in developing countries, or a continent as a whole, especially Africa. Sadly, there one too many times where parents are unable to feed their children or abandoned children are left to die. The lack of food can lead to malnutrition or marasmus.

Another issue at hand is oil. Oil is what drives the American machine and every other country worldwide, but what happens when all that oil is gone? Scientists project that by 2050 that we will consume all or most of the oil on Earth. We must find an alternative from oil, or else war could be well on its way to fight for the remaining remnants of oil.

Another issue directly related with another, is sea level rising. The pollutants we put into the air (CO2, NO2) affect our atmosphere, it destroys our ozone and also our atmospheric temperatures are increasing. The rising temperatures affect the polar ice caps in the polar regions, when ice caps melt all that water is inserted in the rest of the ocean and raises the sea level. Shown in this picture is the state of Florida. On the left shows what it looks like now, and on the right shows what it could like if the polar ice caps keep melting.