Environmental Science Essay Example for Free

Environmental Science Essay Our world looses 40,000 species a year, while ocean fisheries collapse and global warming threatens ecosystems from the coral reefs to the melting of the North Pole poles to the grain-producing mid-latitudes. There is a greater need than ever before to understand ecosystem processes, man’s impact on these processes, and the value systems that will determine our future interactions with our own ecosystem. Conservation is akin to problem solving, hence the emphasis on the art of solving problems and the critical-analytical approach toward understanding the underlying issues. Conserving nature is thus related to solving problems arising from human interference. It thus combines the complexity of nature with the human dimension, which is complicated to say the least. Hence the multitude of dimensions, confusion of ideas and the widespread involvement in all facets of daily life.Conservation is rooted in the belief that something can be done to prevent the loss of an endeared entity. When we saw native forests disappearing to shipbuilding and firewood, we began to protect them, goes the story. However, the truth follows a slightly different path. Forests were saved because people discovered coal, which was much more efficient to use. Instead of building ships from timber, steel proved to be a better choice. Instead of burning firewood for locomotives, coal proved more efficient. Thus coal and steel saved the remnants of native forests. Likewise it was fossil oil that saved the whales. If no economic replacement can be found, people will use the resource to the last little bit. Conservation in its early days, often happened by accident. However, today, people are using knowledge, foresight, labour and technology for proactive conservation. Soil conservation: soil has become threatened by human cultivation and climate change, resulting in loss of fertility, erosion and desertification. Water conservation: water is needed for food and industry, but in many nations a severe shortage is looming as humans use over 50% of fresh water that never reaches the sea. Atmosphere conservation: clean air is needed by all organisms on Earth. The atmosphere regulates the Earths temperature and protects it from harmful radiation. Global warming and ozone depletion threaten all organisms, including humans. Natural habitat conservation: wildlife needs natural habitat, Wildlife conservation: preventing extinctions, maintaining biodiversity. Mineral conservation: the mining of minerals rests almost exclusively in the hands of mining companies. Their business is to supply an ever hungrier market. Conservation of minerals can be done only at the consumers end, by reducing the need, reusing by-products and recycling wastes Energy conservation: energy is the main driving force behind industry and indeed our civilisation. Our entire standard of living depends on energy to the extent, that people in developed countries use the equivalent of 50 human slaves each, or more. Fossil fuel is going to run out and alternatives have to be found, as well as energy conserved. Urban conservation: in recent times, many cities have grown so rapidly that they have become unlivable due to overcrowding, traffic jams, inadequate public transportation systems, air and water pollution, noise, and lack of recreational parks. People flee the cities to live in suburbs, causing urban areas to sprawl, which exacerbates the transport-related problems. Urban conservation aims to make cities more livable, while halting urban sprawl. Marine conservation: the marine environment has its own rules. To do conservation for the benefit of nature is difficult enough, but because humans are involved in every step, the matter becomes very much more complicated. In fact, this aspect can become quite time-consuming and energy-sapping, often obscuring what the whole purpose of conservation is all about. Human society has become more complicated over time, and will continue to do so. People have occupied every bit of land, and have also been allowed to own it. By having an interest in an area planned for conservation, or an extractable species, human lives are affected and conflicts arise. People who have a claim to be considered, call themselves stakeholders. Dont be surprised that a stakeholder can live hundreds of kilometres away from the place of conflict. Here are the human interests that need to be considered along every step: economic: peoples incomes are affected. Countries with a Bill Of Rights, require such people to be compensated financially. It increases the cost of conservation. However, often new opportunities present themselves, and people can get better jobs through re-training. Where fishing is stopped, boat owners and skippers can learn to earn a living from eco-tourism. Park rangers are required, and those displaced from the area make good rangers due to their local knowledge. rights: over time, people have given themselves all kinds of rights. Their present predicament is seen as a right obtained through custom, and any change to it is seen as an infringement of such rights. tradition: people have been doing what they do for many generations, often passed down in families from father to son. Villages have a tradition, and so do areas. A conservation effort may upset such traditions. culture: every ethnic group has a different culture. Within a culture, specific rights and beliefs are held dearly. Conservation may infringe on such cultural values. spiritual: persons and groups may have spiritual values, arising from beliefs and superstitions. emotional value: people often value a place or a species emotionally. Such values cannot be measured but are real to the beholders. A large range of emotional values can be held. race: racial matters may dominate conservation efforts. Original People like the Maori in New Zealand, the Aborigines in Australia and the Indians in America and Canada, have lived in the area for a long time, and have cultural and spiritual ties with an area. However, often the race issue is used to gain power and income. Nevertheless, it seems that the three underlying causes, population growth, economic growth and material needs (standard of living) are too holy to be stemmed, or even discussed. So it happens that all our conservation efforts are directed at fixing problems, rather than preventing them. Worse still, the concept of sustainable development requires us to increase economic activity while also conserving the environment, two opposing goals. Conservationists now try to improve our quality of life, the need for a clean environment, such as clean air and water, uncluttered living areas, and unspoiled scenic lands. Only very recently has the concept of biodiversity entered the conservationists vocabulary. It requires healthy ecosystems, not just for the benefit of people but also for those other millions of species. The ecological crisis, as an outcome of human impact on nature, has reached a point that could threaten the very survival of humanity. In keeping with the economic interests of a small minority, new production forms be implemented faster and faster, with no prior evaluation of their ecological consequences. These minority interests also require maintaining production techniques recognized as harmful. This is going on while technological progress is increasing the possibility of acting upon nature, and hence upsetting or destroying it. Industry, transports and the breakdown of more or less durable consumer goods release a great variety of toxic substances into the air. The unbridled and apparently uncontrollable growth of motor vehicle traffic makes this the primary source of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, far ahead of household and industrial heating. Formic aldehyde, mercury and asbestos, for example, are industrial pollutants. These are also found to a very significant extent in everyday consumer products, such as building materials in the case of formaldehyde and asbestos, and mercury in batteries. Waste, of household, agricultural or industrial origin alike, is carried off in the worlds waters, turning them into gigantic sewers. Continental waters, rivers and lakes are the hardest-hit, but pollution is reaching the sea more and more, via rivers and coastal cities. The direct consequences are the accumulation of heavy metals; mercury, cadmium, etc, and highly toxic organic compounds, in sediment on the ocean floor, riverbeds and lakebeds. Above all, fertilizer build-up, involving nitrates and phosphates, has led to an unbridled proliferation of algae and water plants. Their breakdown then exhausts the oxygen dissolved in the water: resulting in a massive death of aquatic life. Among the most dramatic manifestations of the ecological crisis, the destruction of the worlds forests is among the most disturbing, because of the extent of its consequences. In 50 years, one third of the worlds woodlands has disappeared. This has hit tropical countries the hardest. In the industrialized countries, the wooded area has remained relatively stable, but forests are slowly dying from air, oil and soil pollution. However, in the Third World, deforestation is at the heart of the ecological crisis. Deforestation is the outcome of a vicious cycle of poverty and depletion of arable land. Another cause is the over-harvesting of tropical woods, with no concern for sustainable management. This destroys biodiversity the tropical forests are home to over 50% of the plant and animal species of our planet and the forest populations resources, in order to provide a cheaper product for Western building and furniture markets. In future, we must see our neighbours as partners and friends rather than as poachers and foes. This partnership can also extend to adjoining industries, farming enterprises and business ventures. It does, of course, mean that human attitudes and behaviour will have to change. We should all see ourselves as custodians of the environment and learn to live in harmony with it. Only then will we see light at the end of a dark tunnel. Worked Cite: Daniel B. Botkin, Edward A. Keller Published by Wiley Text Books (June 2002) Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet

Barriers to Accessing Reproductive Healthcare

Barriers to Accessing Reproductive Healthcare Hina Mirza As a part of Reproductive Health Course year III BScN, for community clinical we went to karimabad colony to assess family needs related to health. There I visit one family that I choose as my secondary client. After assessing different dimension of health when it comes to Reproductive health assessment, I took initiative by asking about normal menstrual cycle of the mother and her daughter as both were alone in the room. The mother told me that she has reached to menopause and the girl who is 22 year old was having normal Menstrual cycle. Further I proceed to another concern that has been came into noticed is leucorrhea; Studies shows that the prevalence of leucorrhea in Pakistan is very high which is 12%. (Chris Kenyon, 2013). The girl nod the head into yes while responding to me but her facial expression seems to be anxious towards me. I tried to dig on to this query which I had in mind that whether the girl has any concern related to reproductive issue which she thinks needs to t reated. After completing my question I made an efforts to ask more questions but it seems difficult for me when it comes to reproductive health because I was not confident and familiar with the vocabulary that is used in reproductive health and on the other hand it was my first interaction with that family so I don’t want to invade their privacy or make them feel uncomfortable. As soon as I finished my part the mother stated that â€Å"Yes, she complaint sometimes about discharge that is irritating and smelly and in addition to it some burning sensation in perineal area, might be she is having infection†. Afterwards I wanted to ask to the girl about characteristics of discharge and sexual behaviors that lead to infection as stated by her mother but suddenly, her Father came into the room and I stopped myself from asking more about it because I feel that it will bother her to talk about it in front of her father as well as I lost my confidence level in this particular c omponent of health, in terms of privacy. Moreover, she also felt uncomfortable and tried to change the topic. When I reflect back the situation, I feel I should not discontinue the topic because the girl might have some serious issue related to the discharge and there might be some reproductive health concerns that were in her mind. That is why when I asked her about the discharge, she respond to it so anxiously and promptly and it seems like that she wanted to share something with me. When I analyze at my part, that why this incident happened to me was firstly, due to lack of confidence in dealing with reproductive concerns of the client. According to Literature, â€Å"More general predisposition, such as comfort and confidence, that might influences nurses openness to dealing with patient sexuality† (Cort et al., 2001) Secondly, my own sociocultural barriers that how should I invade someone else privacy and also client’s perception that they might have while discussing such stuff. This made me overprotective for the conversation supported by the literature that â€Å"The first line of inquiry culminates in the classification of nurses as liberal or conservative in their views about specific sex-related behaviors† moreover according to literature, Reproductive health is not openly discussed in many cultures of the world and that is why client hesitate to raise questions and concern related to these issues with their health care provider (Tsai. Y, 2004). Thirdly, the communication problem contributes major part to this incident, it seems difficult for me to decide what best vocabulary and way of communication enable health care provider to make client understand about the main focus of the discussion evident by literature that â€Å"Communication about health and sexuality often differs by ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and sexual o ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­rientation. Communication patterns can form serious obstacles to care†( Moss.T, 2004) Lastly, if I look at the surrounding one more barrier in discussion was privacy factor because of her father came into the room and that made me hold back the discussion. Few of the things that I could have done so that I can help out the patient at that time related to their reproductive health issues by maintaining my confidence level by increasing competency in reproductive health nursing before visiting the client. According to the article, Nurses’ state that they do not initiate to assess reproductive health of client due to insufficient knowledge regarding problem that patient might raise during conversation (Magnan.M et al., 2005). In addition to it I could have kept my sociocultural barriers aside and making client needs as priority because reproductive concerns are majorly remain unaddressed and it has been observed that client wait and expect health care provider to initiate these topics. â€Å"Although patient have said that discussion with nurses is appropriate and that they would prefer having nurses initiate the discussion† (Magnan.M et al., 2005). Last but not the least if her father came into the room I could have been st op for a while but after seeing appropriate time I should have made the first move to ask her about her reproductive concern or if still she is uncomfortable I could tell her to talk to me in privacy, may be in other room or as she prefer. As evident by literature â€Å"Lack of confidentiality is often a barrier to the delivery of health care services, especially reproductive health care, for adolescents† (Committee on Adolescent Health Care, 2010) To conclude if this kind of scenario ever happens again the experience will facilitate me to boost up my confident by making me realize my mistake of neglecting one patient’s health. Besides this by gaining more competencies in vocabulary, knowledge and communication pattern in reproductive health will help me to address the client needs and initiate the concerns in which client face difficulty to elaborate. References Kenyon, C., Colebunders, R., Crucitti, T. (2013). The global epidemiology of bacterial vaginosis: a systematic review. American Journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 209(6), 505-523. Tsai, Y. (2004). Nurses’ facilitators and barriers for taking a sexual history in  Taiwan. Applied Nursing Research, 17(4), 257-264. doi: 10.1016/j.apnr.2004.09.011 M,T. (2004). Barriers to Health Care for Youth of Color. Retrieved from http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/705- barriers-to-health-care-for-youth-of-color Committee Opinion(460). (2010). Retrieved from The American College of obstetricians and Gynecologists womens health care physicians website: http://www.acog.org/~/media/Committee Opinions/Committee on Adolescent Health Care/co598.pdf?dmc=1ts=20140501T1128433150 Magnan,M.A., Reynolds,K.E., Galvin,E.A. (2005). Barriers to Addressing Patient Sexuality in Nursing Practice.MEDSURG NURSING,14(5). Retrieved from http://www.kc-courses.com/fundamentals/week15diversitygrief/barriers.pdf

The Purpose of Lines 1 through 18 of Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

The Purpose of Lines 1 – 18 of â€Å"Beowulf†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  August 31, 2005 â€Å"Beowulf† begins the British literature. As a classic heroic epic, it outlines the tribal history of the Jutes, providing a great insight into the Anglo-Saxons’ epoch. In the poem â€Å"Beowulf,† we meet the most heroic man in the time of the Anglo-Saxons; a man with all the extraordinary characteristics necessitated to being a true hero. Beowulf was his name. He slaughters the monster Grendel, a descendent of Cain, Grendel’s mother and a dragon. By including the mere first eighteen lines of the section The Coming of Grendel in the poem â€Å"Beowulf,† the anonymous author successfully reflects the various customs of the Anglo-Saxons, the magnanimity of King Hrothgar and the values of the Anglo-Saxons. It is perhaps the most suitable opening for a work of admirable heroism; revealing grandiose, powerful and gloriousness of the Anglo-Saxons’ period. Anglo-Saxons lived in times when people believed war was essential for survival whether it was against man, or a ferocious creature. Through such conditions developed the battle customs of the Anglo-Saxons. The battle customs of the Anglo-Saxons, taking into account that Jutes are always victorious, seems to be the division the spoils among everyone, â€Å"old and young.†(9) With King Hrothgar taking the throne, it was impossible for the Jutes to face defeat. Drinking a cup of mead, they celebrate their victory in the mead-hall. For his comrades and kinsmen King Hrothgar opens a banquet for every victory, and the Jutes eat, drink and speak in Herot, a place considered peaceful and of community. They again verify their loyalty to the king and promise for continual dedication. As the King of the Danes, King Hrothgar is portrayed as a wise and generous leader of his people. Not only does he equally distribute the spoils amongst everyone, but also he grants mercy by â€Å"leaving the common pastures untouched, and taking no lives.†(10-11) By displaying compassion for those who do not fight in battles, King Hrothgar earns more respect from his followers. Such generosity is rarely found in the man of war. King Hrothgar’s grandeur temperament also pulls attention. When he is for something he truly desires, he has to make it grand and appealing. He built the â€Å"most beautiful of dwellings†(14) named Herot, a mead-hall where he can commemorate his victories and share the spoils from battle. When time comes to congratulate his victories in battle, he was glad to â€Å"[open] out his treasure-full hands†(18) for a banquet.

The Bays of Pigs Invasion :: Cuba Politics

The Bays of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs was one of the most important political decisions in the history of the United States. Its effects are still being felt to today, especially in the Cuban communities of the United States. The decisions that were made by the highest offices of our government showed us that the United States was, and is, far from perfect. They constructed a plan that wasn't completely thought through and paid a major price -- global embarrassment. They took the chance to destroy the communist threat that was quite close to our shores and, in the process, made the CIA and our government look incompetent. First, I will give some background information on the conflict. In 1960, President Eisenhower gave the CIA the order to begin training Cuban exiles to oppose Castro's rule in Cuba and having them lead resistance groups within Cuba. Therefore, we would have a force already in the country to slow down Cuban Forces when our invaders landed. It didn't quite work out this way. When the American troops landed on April 19, 1961, they made it only a little way inland. At that point, they were met by a force much greater than they had planned on. We figured that the Cuban people were upset with Castro so they wouldn't want to give much of a fight. What happened was that the military fought with great pride for their country and pushed the American troops back to the landing site. There, the forces either surrendered or fled to safety. 1500 troops landed on the coast. Over 100 of them were killed and many more were captured. In many ninds, the invasion was a complete failure for the American m ilitary. The main reason, and possibly the lone reason, for the Bay of Pigs invasion was to stop communism from reaching our country. This meant that the United States government wanted to provoke a counterrevolution in which democracy would be restored and all traces of communism would, subsequently, be destroyed. They tried this by sending the aforementioned group of Cubans into Cuba, an obviously unsuccessful tactic. They also decided to spend thousands of dollars on propaganda against Cuba. Articles, posters, and even comic books were written and distributed to spread cynicism towards Castro and his government. The other method used to spread propaganda was to drop over 1 million flyers over Cuba, hopefully convincing the people to rise up against Castro.

Teen Pregnancy :: Teenage Pregnancy

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While many teens that engage in pre-marital sex never become pregnant, some are not as fortunate. Teen pregnancy has become all too common in this day and age. Some teens think it will not happen to them and do not use necessary precautions to protect against it. There are several causes for teen pregnancy and the effects can be life changing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Several causes for teen pregnancy are: the need for affection, acceptance, and unprotected sex. One may have a poor home life and look for affection from a peer. The simple desire to feel loved by another person may be a cause for an unexpected pregnancy. A teen may have a low self-esteem and simply be looking for acceptance in the bedroom. However, many teens that have a wonderful, affectionate family and are very confidante are merely looking for the few minutes of pleasure and avoid using protection. As several teens use the excuse that sex feels better with out a condom, an unwanted pregnancy is likely to occur.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One major effect of teen pregnancy is that the child may be raised by a single parent. While most girls are looking for love and acceptance in sex, many guys are looking for the mere pleasure and are not planning on becoming a teen father. The pressures of high school and hanging out with friends may be overwhelming for some teens, so they just leave. Raising a child as teen is difficult, but raising a child alone would be almost impossible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many teens become overwhelmed with the stresses of high school and raising a baby; therefore, dropping out of school may seem like the best option. Attending school five days a week, studying for classes, and raising a baby would be overwhelming for most teens. One would have to pay for babysitting and many other expenses for the child that a part time job income could not cover. Dropping out of high school to work full time may seem like a great idea at the moment, but the jobs one applies for may be limited because the lack of a high school diploma.

Outline Three Problems to Plato’s Theory of the Forms Essay

Aristotle thought that Plato’s theory of forms with its two separate realms failed to explain what it was meant to. That is, it failed to explain how there could be permanence and order in this world and how we could have objective knowledge of this world. By separating the realm of forms so radically from the material realm, Plato made it impossible to explain how the realm of forms made objectivity and permanence possible in the material realm. The objectivity and permanence of the realm of forms does not help to explain the material world because the connection between the two worlds is so hard to understand. The theory of forms, therefore, is an unnecessary proposal. There is no need to split the world up into two separate realms in order to explain objectivity and permanence in our experience. Aristotle elaborated this general criticism into two more particular objections: First, according to Plato material objects participate in or imitate the forms. It is in virtue of this relation to the realm of forms that material objects are knowable and have order. Yet, Aristotle argues it is nearly impossible to explain what exactly this participation or imitation is. The properties that the forms have are all incompatible with material objects. How, for example, can a red object be said to participate in or copy the form of redness? Is the form of redness red itself? How can there be red without anything that is red? It seems that the metaphor of imitation or participation seems to break down in these cases because of the special properties that Plato ascribes to the forms. The only link between the realm of forms and the material world, then, breaks down. The forms cannot explain anything in the material world. The second argument was first given by Plato himself in his later dialogues. It is related to the first objection, but is a more technical way of getting at the main problem with the theory of forms. Plato explains the resemblance between any two material objects in terms of their joint participation in a common form. A red book and a red flower, for example, resemble each other in virtue of being copies of the form of redness. Since they are copies of this form, they also resemble the form. But this resemblance between the red object and the form of redness must also be explained in terms of another form. What form does a red object and the form of redness both copy to account for their similarity? One can see that this will lead to an infinite regress. Whenever someone proposes another form that two similar things copy, you can always ask them to explain the similarity between the form and the objects. This will always require another form. The notion of imitation or copying used in the theory of forms, then, runs into logical difficulties. The theory of forms really explains nothing about the similarity of objects; another form is always needed beyond the one proposed. Thus to explain the similarity between a man and the form of man, one needs a third form of man, and this always requires another form. The explanation of the original similarity is never given; it is only put off to the next level. Wittgenstein also criticised Plato’s theory with his language games. He argued that for meaning in language it must define the concepts. Concepts therefore do not gain meaning from the objects to which they refer but from the way we use them in language. This is governed by a series of formal and informal rules that control the games. Wittgenstein observed from games that it is impossible to offer a simple explanation of the word game because not all the uses of it include the same concepts. The games have a family resemblance but no defining set feature. The use of the word game gains its meaning from the way in which it is used. Therefore those who understand how to use it will understand what it means. This is a problem for Plato because he has already told us that the Forms are simple, yet Wittgenstein suggests that some concepts are so complex that there cannot be a simple blueprint or pattern that ties them all together.

Effects of Religion Essay

Organized religion is a subject that has been around for years and also is very controversial and can cause some problems with people that want to talk about other religions since people take offence to what they believe. In society there are very good effects of religion and there also is are negative effects but that goes with anything because you have the people that wont to do and be free with no worries of persecution. I would say who cares who is right and wrong look how much better life would be if we lived by a good religion that teaches love forgiveness tolerance which are all good tools for combating social issues.. Religious groups can be invaluable to all levels of society because churches are willing to offer financial support, counseling and to help people in need. A great example of this is the ministry of Franklin Graham. His â€Å"Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love. Since 1993, more than 61 million shoe boxes have been packed, shipped, and delivered across the globe† (Graham, Franklin, N. D). Unfortunately Religion has also played a major part in some of the most devastating events in world history. It has caused hatred, segregation, confrontations and friction where divided groups feel superior and want to wipe out entire nations. Throughout our history there have been many events in which individuals or groups have been persecuted for their choice of faith. One such event was the systematic mass murder of European Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah’s witness’ and many others by the German Nazi Party during World War II known as â€Å"The Holocaust†. The Germans felt superior and that Jews along with other groups were inferior. They sought to eradicate any impurities or what they thought were wrong. The main premeditated focus of the holocaust was to wipe out the Jews. Over six million Jews were murdered purely for the fact they were of Jewish faith and at the same time many other people from other religious groups were killed also. ? References Graham, Franklin. N. D. Operation Christmas Child. Samaritans purse. Retrieved September 15, 2010. (n. d). Religion, economics and demography; the effects of religion on education, work, and the family. (Brief article)(Book review). Reference & Research Book News, Retrieved from Gale: Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (PowerSearch) database.