John Rector: The Final Assignment.

At the beginning of the year, my view on sustainability was limited to simply cars and fossil fuels. I thought those were our only problems; or at least, the most pressing. However, this class has shown me that there is a lot more than just automobiles that is causing trouble. Population, dwindling energy supplies, and global climate change are all very pressing matters that I have been enlightened upon. Sustainability is not simply driving your car less. It is a combination of actions and lifestyles that reduce our carbon footprint and help preserve our planet for future generations. Unfortunately, we are not living sustainably. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.
One of the most shocking things I have been shown this year is how serious the current population increase is. I knew that the population was increasing and that it had reached 7 billion, but I did not know how drastically it would continue to increase after it hit the 7 billion mark. Such a rise in population is scary because we can barely support our population now. With America living so unsustainably and countries like India having children die every minute, I do not see how we can continue to thrive with more people. This makes changes in lifestyles even more urgent.
This class has also widened my gaze on the energy crisis. Our continued use of non-renewable resources has us heading down a path that leads to a final energy crisis when they all run out and we have not accessed enough renewable resources. I fear that in the future we will be reduced to an energy-less society due to our failure to heed the warnings of the present.
Perhaps the most serious and most permanent change that we as a people are instigating is the global climate change due to greenhouse gasses. Before this class, I was unsure whether global warming was real or just an invention of environmentalists. But now, after seeing the science behind it, I know that global climate change is indeed real and is becoming very serious.

After taking this class, I have realized what a clean source of energy nuclear energy is. If the dangers can be avoided, which they easily can, nuclear would be a great option for the future.

Climate change is one of the most pressing and permanent dangers we face as we forge into the future. Climate change will change the way we live. If this unsustainable lifestyle continues, we will plunge the earth into an eternity off heat.

Overpopulation is what I have grown to fear most by studying in this class. If we have trouble living sustainably with current population, a population boost will only multiply the horrific effects we are currently seeing such as malnutrition and starvation.