I want to take APES because the material it covers sounds interesting and I am excited to learn about more about the Earth and its environment.

Tori

I want to take APES because it seemed fun and I want to learn more about my environment.
-Tori

APES Summer Assignment 2010

I decided that I wanted to take AP Environmental because I really enjoyed the Environmental Science class I took in 9th grade. I understand that this class was just the basics, so I am excited to learn more in depth information about the Earth that we live on.

APES Summer Reading 2010

I want to take APES because I feel like it is the most "everyday" science. I am excited to learn the curriculum!

Final Assignment - Quint

Sustainability is how we, as humans, use the environment so that we do not deplete the natural resources it has to offer. There are many issues with and threats to sustainability. One such threat is overfishing.

Overfishing is the harvesting of more fish than can be replaced. In other words, we are taking out more fish than can be replenished. I knew overfishing was a problem before, but know I understand just how bad the situation is. For instance, some asian fish markets pay tens of thousands of dollars for prize tuna because prize tuna are becoming scarcer and scarcer due to unsustainable fishing practices.

Another issue that I was turned on to this year is genetically modified crops. In essence it does not sound like a bad idea: speeding up the evolution cycle and being extremely selective when breeding. This is actually good in many ways. With it, some crops have been made immune to pesticides which means that farmers can spray freely without having to worry about damaging their crop. The flip side of GMO's is that there is no long-term research about what positive or negative effects it has on the body. For all we know, certain genetically modified crops could lower the risk of cancer, but they could also make one at a greater risk of a heart attack. Until there is further, long-term research, the effects of GMO's will remain a mystery.

Ozone depletion is a huge issue. It is a unending cycle too: Chlorine ions (Cl) replace one of the oxygen atoms (O) in an ozone molecule (O3), this creates ClO2. The Cl atom then breaks off from the molecule leaving just a diatomic oxygen and another free-flowing Cl ion. The cycle then repeats itself. One thing that speeds up this process is the liquid in refrigerators and A/C units. These are usually freon chemicals that release ozone-depleting chemicals when they begin to decompose.

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.

The Final Post

Sustainability is the capacity to endure-responsibly. We've already exceed the population capacity the Earth can hold, no matter the statistics or the projected holding capacity. When there are people living in poverty, children suffering from lack of food while other nations, our nation, suffers from obesity, when we can no longer look after our own then we should not continue to grow or "progress." I believe in environmental wisdom worldview where we are reliant on the Earth to survive and whether we prosper or not, if the Earth cannot function then there is no possible way for us to succeed as a species. We have to focus on developing our expertise not only to make our way of life more sustainable but for preservation as well.

Our resources are being depleted as little is done to check the new inventions that will "make life easier." Each inevitably ends up in a land fill as the next new gadget rolls out. There needs to be a line drawn between what we need, how we take care of it, and what we can live without, otherwise it just ends up here...

Mary Cornell

APES

A Bell