Senior Project- Peer Review: Deforestation

Abstract:
I felt that it was important to research how climate change affects our trees because my group’s senior project revolves around the problem of deforestation and how that contributes to greenhouse effect and climate change; which in return affects our environment.

Downing, Keith. "Exploring the Gaia Theory: Artifical Life on a Planetary Scale." The Norwgian Univeristy of Science and Technology. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. .

“However, since Gaia embodies the notion of organisms making the planet more livable for each other, some positive relationships between population size and average fitness will often occur, but these are often more emergent phenomena than the negative connections, which are typically implicit in resource limited situations.”

About the quote above:
I tried to find a source that would give me some information about the “Gaia Theory” because my group was thinking about incorporating it into our senior project. The source I found was pretty heavy and hard to understand however, I did find one quote that I really liked (shown above). It made me think about how I can possibly incorporate the problem of population in with my group’s senior project. Since population size affects several aspects of the world’s problems today, including global warming.

“Increased carbon sequestration would remove more CO2 from the atmosphere (a negative feedback that lessens climate change), whereas carbon losses through forest disturbances would result in more CO2 entering the atmosphere (a positive feedback that strengthens climate change). The IPCC (2007) concludes that “net carbon uptake by terrestrial ecosystems is likely to peak before mid-century and then weaken or even reverse, thus amplifying climate change.”

About the quote above:
This quote explains how trees are important in that they absorb CO2 out of the atmosphere. Trees with an increased carbon sequestration would remove more CO2 where as one with less carbon (due to forest disturbances) would not. (It’s pretty straight forward and to the point)

"Forests | Climate Change - Health and Environmental Effects | U.S. EPA." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 15 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. .

“Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and chlorofluorocarbons, are all increasing in the atmosphere. These gases are directly affecting biological processes in trees and ecological processes in forests. They are also causing considerable radiant energy to be trapped near the earth’s surface resulting in the so-called “greenhouse.”

About the quote above:
When I was reading part of this book on Google Scholars I learned a lot about how carbon dioxide effects the environment. I chose to focus on the information climate change how that affects the trees. The most interesting line in this quote was, “These gases are directly affecting biological processes in trees and ecological processes in forests.” In the future I plan to look more into how the gases directly affect the trees ability to process.

Karnosky, David F. "IUFRO: Publications / Publications." IUFRO: IUFRO – The Global Network for Forest Science Cooperation. Sept. 2001. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. .

“Powering the Planet” Nate Lewis

One of my favorite lines was in his conclusion,

What we must do is have an informed discussion of how much risk we are willing to live with, and then adjust our level of investment commensurate to being comfortable with that level of risk, with respect to developing globally scalable and economically viable technologies capable of producing 10-20 TW of carbon-free power by the mid-21 st century.

- Nate Lewis

Nate Lewis’ lecture was very well put together. I really liked the fact that even though he was talking about a topic, that could be seen as complex his audience was able to understand and following what he was saying. His lecture was full of facts and he was able to keep his opinion out which was nice. He was teaching his audience and they were interpreting what he was saying. I couldn’t find anything in what he was saying to be false or misleading and I feel like his lecture conveyed urgency as well as hope.

Not only did he present the problem but he presented possible solutions. For example he talks about ways we could possibly improve solar power. He said, “It is also useful to compare “artificial photosynthesis” in which inorganic or organic materials, such as those used in photovoltaics, are used in an integrated system to produce fuels as described above, with modification of natural photosynthesis, i.e., bioengineered plants and bioengineered biomass farms, to produce fuels. Both are solar energy farms broadly defined.” (It sounds better and less complex when you see him explain it in his lecture).

As the lecture proceeded I kept thinking to myself, “Dang, we have a lot of work to do, this isn’t going to be easy.” He kept coming back to the point…we could either find a more productive way to create energy or we could keep living the way we are and see what happens. I think that, that was one of the strongest points in his lecture. It really hits home and makes you think…do you really want to take that big of a risk? It’s not like your gambling your money away in a Casino, you’re gambling with life (many lives) and the assets you can lose are greater than yourself (meaning-the world).

Continued Research...

Khnor, Martin. “Food crisis, climate change and the importance of sustainable agriculture”, Jun 2008. Feb 10, 2010. .

“According to the recent report of the IAASTD (Independent assessment of agricultural knowledge, science and technology for development), climate change can irreversibly damage the natural resource base on which agriculture depends. Some negative impacts are already visible in many parts of the world. Water scarcity and the timing of water availability will increasingly constrain production. Climate change will require a new look at water storage to cope with the impacts of more and extreme precipitation, higher seasonal variations and increased rates of evapotranspiration in all types of ecosystems.”

-The article focused on food security, as well as other environmental topics. I chose to just focus on what the article said about agriculture.
-I learned from the article that agriculture today has an indirect contribution to emissions. Due to fertilizers, operations, and the change in land use. Showing that the way we handle our agriculture also contributes to global warming.
-What really caught my attention from this quote was the line, “…Climate change will require a new look at water storage to cope with the impacts of more and extreme precipitation….”
-If I was to continue my senior project on this topic I would probably included this in my conclusion. Showing images on ways we could deal with climate change.
- Possible focus: Evapotranspiration and how that affects food supply (caused by climate change)

Unknown. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Agriculture and Food Supply”, Oct 15, 2009. Feb 10, 2010. .

“Rising atmospheric concentrations of CO2: Increasing atmospheric CO2 levels, driven by emissions from human activities, can act as a fertilizer and enhance the growth of some crops such as wheat, rice and soybeans. CO2 can be one of a number of limiting factors that, when increased, can enhance crop growth. Other limiting factors include water and nutrient availability. While it is expected that CO2 fertilization will have a positive impact on some crops, other aspects of climate change (e.g., temperature and precipitation changes) may temper any beneficial CO2 fertilization effect (IPCC, 2007).”
-This source was more studies based and seemed the most credible. This article talks mainly about 5 main factors that directly connect climate change and agricultural productivity. Average temperature increase, Change in rainfall amount and patterns, Rising atmospheric concentrations of CO2, Pollution levels such as tropospheric ozone, and Change in climatic variability and extreme events.
-I like this quote because it focus’ on climate change and what happens when CO2 increases (due to human activity).
-The affect that CO2 has on agriculture-crop growth.
-No availability to water and nutrients.

Unknown. International Food Policy Research Institute, “Climate change: Impact on agriculture and costs of adaptation”, 2009. Feb 10, 2010. .

“The unimpeded growth of greenhouse gas emissions is raising the earth’s temperature. The consequences include melting glaciers, more precipitation, more and more extreme weather events, and shifting seasons. The accelerating pace of climate change, combined with global population and income growth, threatens food security everywhere.”
-Once again this article talks about greenhouse gases and its involvement in what happens to agriculture. It also talks about the cost of adapting, mentioning how humans will be affected negatively by the climate change.
-I found that the line about the shifting seasons would come in handy if I do decide to focus on this project.

Reflection:

As a continuation to my topic about food: Focusing more on how climate change affects agriculture and vise versa.

Without a doubt climate change affects agriculture. Naturally Agriculture is sensitive to the variations in climate and weather; this includes extreme weather such as droughts, floods and storms. As a result it disrupts the growth of the plants, soil quality and water availability. So if I do continue to go more in-depth into food for my senior project I can incorporate the idea that climate change has a huge affect on our food. After doing some research I found out that there’s several focus points that I can chose from like CO2 affects on agriculture, seasons, and evapotranspiration (just to name a few). But they all lead back to the idea of this issue being Human Caused! So, I think if I did a film about this topic then I would be in a similar order as the “Inconvenient Truth”. Agriculture in the past, what has happened to agriculture as humanity evolved, the problems, and how to fix it.

Initial Plant Research!

1. YOU SAY TOMATO, I SAY TOMAHTO!

a. Tomatoes are fruits. “Botanically, a tomato is a fruit: the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant. However, the tomato is not as sweet as most foods eaten as fruit, and is typically served as part of a salad or main course of a meal, rather than at dessert. It is therefore considered a vegetable for most culinary purposes.” –Wiki

b. Grown on trees.

2. If grown in the costal region, during the warm seasons from March-July.

3. It can be grown from seed. Preferably use “starting mix seeds”.

Germination= 5-10 days.

o I advise planting 20% more seeds than the number of plants you’ll want to allow for seeds that may not germinate or seedlings that become damaged. It’s generally pretty easy to find a home for seedlings you won’t be using. Fill container with dampened seed starting mix. Tamp down mix to get air out. Plant your seeds a maximum of 1/4 inch deep. Then tamp down mix again lightly. Dampen soil mix thoroughly with a gentle drizzling of water.

o Put your containers or tray into a loose-fitting plastic bag (leaving the end open for circulation. Some air circulation is good but don’t let the mix dry out because dry seeds won’t germinate.

o If temperature is kept consistently and sufficiently warm, your tomato seeds will usually germinate within 5 to 10 days. Best to keep temperature range 70 to 80F (21 to 27C). The lower the temperature the slower the germination. However, temperatures below 50F (10C) or above 95F (35C) are poor for germination. (Some varieties need more time to germinate.) When seeds start coming up remove tray from plastic bag.

o Watch for the first seedlings, because they will need to be moved into a good light source as soon as they begin to emerge from the soil. If the light is not adequate, you will get long, leggy stems shooting up which is not good. .

4. 55 to 100 days. I think that makes sense for this semester. I think growing tomatoes would go great in the garden. The garden mostly consist of lettuce, cabbage…salad foods. And tomatoes go great with salads. J

5. Cutting.

6-7: Prepare the garden bed by adding lots of compost (5 to 8 pounds per square foot/25 to 40 kilograms per square meter) to the soil. Turn compost into the top 3 inches (6 to 8 cm). Tomatoes demand a growing medium rich in organic matter. If you don’t make your own compost, use store-bought compost or composted manure available in the 40-pound bags. Compost or Manure is usually less than US $5 per 40-pound bag. .

a. Acidic Soil. pH 5.0 - 5.5.

b. N-P-K ratio recommended: 10-10-10

8. Run the hose at the base of the plants. Do not water tomatoes with an over-head sprinkler. Water thoroughly when you water, then hold off for several days, before rewatering.

9. Companion plants: asparagus, basil, bean, carrots, celery, chive, cucumber, garlic, head lettuce, marigold, mint, nasturtium, onion, parsley, pepper, marigold, pot marigold and sow thistle. Basil repels flies and mosquitoes, improves growth and flavor. Bee balm, chives and mint improve health and flavor. Borage deters tomato worm, improves growth and flavor. Keep cabbage and cauliflower away from them.

10. Aside from being rich in vitamins C, A and K, tomatoes contain lycopene, a carotenoid with potent antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties. Lycopene protects cells from oxygen damage, fights colorectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers, and reduces your risk of heart disease.

a. The vines are poisonous.

b. Bumble bees…ZZZ! They pretty much self pollinate.

Senior Project

Sources & Annotations:

1. Pollan, Michael. The New York Times, “Farmer in Chief”, Oct 12, 2008. Jan 21, 2010.

“Even food-assistance programs like WIC and school lunch focus on maximizing quantity rather than quality, typically specifying a minimum number of calories (rather than maximums) and seldom paying more than lip service to nutritional quality. This focus on quantity may have made sense in a time of food scarcity, but today it gives us a school-lunch program that feeds chicken nuggets and Tater Tots to overweight and diabetic children.”

-I chose this quote because it sparked a possible focus point on the topic of food.

-I especially like the line, “Even food-assistance programs like WIC and school lunch focus on maximizing quantity rather than quality…”

-Brings up a good point. I think that America has grown so accustomed to making the most money that we can and taking short cuts to do it. That we begin to cut the natural/organic-ness out of our products.

-I mean what the heck is a Dorito? Can you go home and make yourself some Doritos? I think NOT!

2. Unknown. Cheap Ass Food.com, “Upgrade Ramen”, Jan 21, 2010. .

“#1 way to upgrade from Economy to First-class, my research suggest adding the incredible edible egg. One way to add protein with out the cost of mad cow. Additional add-ons are tofu, onion, green onion, bean spouts, the list goes on; also if you have any leftovers, great way to make space for your selves.”

-Although this not a strong accredited source. I found it super interesting.

-I mean it demonstrates that we can still try and make our unhealthy but very cheap foods…at least semi-healthy. By adding our own fresh foods that we’ve cooked rather than store bought stuff.

3. Phillips, Peter. Global Research.ca, “Global Starvation Ignored by American Policy Elites”, Sep 5, 2008. Jan 21, 2010. .

“For a family on the bottom rung of poverty a small price increase is the difference between life and death, yet neither US presidential candidate has declared a war on starvation. Instead both candidates talk about national security and the continuation of the war on terror as if this were the primary election issue. Where is the Manhattan project for global hunger?”

-I was drawn to the quote above simply because it said, “For a family on the bottom rung of poverty a small price increase is the difference between life and death…” It’s simply a powerful sentence because I mean that’s the reality for most people around the world. Depending on how poor a person shows their chance of survival. When you’re poor you have fewer resources, less money, less of everything.

4. Bloom, Jonathan. Culinate, “The food not eaten, food waste: Out of sight, out of mind”, Nov 19, 2007. Jan 21, 2010. .

“In America, the fourth Thursday in November gives us special permission to heap food on our plates. While this ritual used to be unique to Thanksgiving, it has become increasingly routine in our daily lives.”

“Because America produces twice as much food as needed per person, Thanksgiving’s celebration of abundance seems outdated. Yes, we cherish this holiday. But we’d have more cause to give thanks if we valued food more and made better use of our excess.”

-The holidays and excuses for eating tons of food.

-Giving thanks to our food?

-Yes, we cherish this holiday. But we’d have more cause to give thanks if we valued food more and made better use of our excess.” …Put a fun twist on those words.

Write-Up:

Possible Senior Project Topic: FOOD!

I was driven to focus on this topic for various reasons including the Farmer & Chief reading, our environmental science garden, and my general curiosity to dig deeper into this topic.

I’m not exactly sure on what I want to want to cover about food though. Food alone is too broad of a topic. One of the few things I need to decide upon is whether I want to focus on food domestically i.g. California and America OR focus on food on a more global scale.

What I might want to focus on specifically:

Quality vs. Quantity!

-At this point in time, America is choosing quantity. How is this affecting Americans?

- Growing so accustomed to taking short cuts when it comes to food.

-Taking out the natural/organic-ness of our products.

-Eating all this unhealthy food, causes health problems.

Ways to eat healthier, but still keeping cost down!

-Referring to the “Upgrade Ramen” article/blog source.

-Maybe for my senior project I can focus on inexpensive ways to eat healthier. By adding our own fresh foods that we’ve cooked rather than store bought stuff.

Starvation!

If I do choose to do my senior project on starvation, I’ll probably base it around this fact…“For a family on the bottom rung of poverty a small price increase is the difference between life and death…” It’s simply a powerful sentence because I mean that’s the reality for most people around the world. Depending on how poor a person shows their chance of survival. When you’re poor you have fewer resources, less money, less of everything.

“Giving thanks to our food?”

Yes, we cherish this holiday. But we’d have more cause to give thanks if we valued food more and made better use of our excess.” …Put a fun twist on those words. And base my senior project on things that relate to those words.

"Farmer in Chief!"

First of, I really enjoyed having a Socratics seminar after the reading Farmer & Chief, because it allowed me to gain a better understanding and dig deeper into the reading. The other students brought up really valid points that I never thought about.

Overall, I think that the seminar went well. I think that there were areas for improvement, for example there were a lot of side conversations going on. Even though they were productive they should have been addressed to the group.

The one point that really stuck out to me was EDUCATION!

I think that if we really started educating people on the importance of eating healthy foods for themselves and how that could it will help the environment. I think if we educated the public then that would actually be a good starting changing the way America’s food industry is run.

I am also a strong advocate for educating the youths and for making it requirement for schools to have an environmental class where they support a garden. What better way to educate the next generation and with a garden at every school. It will reunite the “intimacy” (as Monty would say) between us & our food.

"Family-Agriculture…?"

Today I learned that my father has property in the Dominican Republic! Not only is that cool but we have crops of Plantains there as well.

As I talked to my mom about agriculture she explained that our family had a large portion of property where she grew up, in a small town called Moincks Corner, South Carolina. She said that my great grandpa grew carrots, corn, watermelon, and collard greens (from what she can remember). They also made their own ice cream and butter. She explained that the soil back then was rich and allowed a lot of farming. The only thing they bought from the store was sugar and flour. They hunted rabbit, dear, possum and raised their own chicken. My mom said she remembers having to pick blue berries with her brother and cousins, but the bucket most of the time would be empty (or half full) because they would eat the berries before they got back to the house.

My grandpa to this day grows watermelon, cabbage in Summerville, South Carolina and he fishes a lot.

"Your place in the universe?"

After the discussion today I feel so insignificant! I always think of the world as a “big place”…when in reality there are bigger things then that. Like the UNIVERSE! The lesson today literally made me feel like a tiny grain of sand on a beach.

The pictures that John showed the class on the universe were beautiful. I liked seeing the stars, galaxies and planets. It was cool to see all the different colors that the gases from the stars created. There were a lot of things that John went over that I didn’t know about. It’s crazy to think that when we take pictures of the stars, planets, galaxies…etc that we are looking at an image of that thing way later. So for example if we were looking at a picture taken of a star, depending on how far from the earth it is we can be looking at what it looked like 40 yrs ago or 1 million. I found that fact interesting.

"What is something you are curious about in the natural world?"

I’m curious about everything! I feel like the world is such a BIIIGGG place… and it’s filled with so many questions that need to be answered.

With all this talk about 2012! You know, about how the worlds going to end by a meteor crashing into the earth.

Which I’m not sure if I actually believe and by the way I would be completely piss if it was true! Because that means I spent my whole life going to school for NOTHING! Ugh! So frustrating but I digress.

Anyways with all this talk going around the year 2012. It makes me wonder how much longer will, human life exist (in general). I mean it’s a scary thought to think about human life NO LONGER existing. But the truth is everything eventually ends. Honestly, at the rate at which we are destroying our planet with pollutants and waste how much longer do we (the human race) have? Should we really be worrying about a meteor that might never actually destroy the earth …or…should we be worrying about what we are doing to the earth on a daily bases!

I read an article today and it said: “The study, by 1,360 experts in 95 nations, said a rising human population had polluted or over-exploited two thirds of the ecological systems on which life depends, ranging from clean air to fresh water, in the past 50 years,” and that, “Ten to 30 percent of mammal, bird and amphibian species were already threatened with extinction, according to the assessment, the biggest review of the planet’s life support systems.” “Human activity is putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted,” it said. The report said that in 100 years, global warming widely blamed on burning of fossil fuels in cars, factories and power plants, might take over as the main source of damage.

If all of this isn’t saying that we need to start taking care of the earth then I don’t know what will.