The Ozone Layer: The World's Greatest Sunblock
The Ozone Layer: The World's Greatest Sunblock Diane Yearous July 1, 2004 Daniel Marler English Comp II Coating our skin with a sunblock lotion before going out into the sun has become a daily practice for people. Using a sunblock lotion protects us from the sun's rays much like the ozone layer protects the earth from the damaging ultraviolet rays that emit from the sun. We, as inhabitants of the earth are damaging our greatest protection from the sun. We take our air for granted, we have taken the ozone layer for granted also. We have abused our ozone layer with our convenient necessities of life. It is important for the survival of the ozone layer for people to understand what the ozone layer is, the rate of its shrinking protection, and if it can possibly recover from all the destruction that we have impaled upon it. When we talk about the ozone layer some refer to it as a hole, that's really a figure of speech. It is a thin layer of atmosphere first discovered in the early 1950's by observation scientists in the Antarctica region. In 1985, a progressive loss of ozone during the southern hemisphere spring was the first real harming sign that there was a serious problem. Satellite data showed that the affected area was not just limited to over the observations stations, but over most of the Antarctica region. This area of 50-75% depletion of total ozone has
U.K Affects
U.K Affects In the UK we may not be as badly affected and hit as many places in the world but there could still be problems raised. * The United Kingdom may get warmer although, like now, not everywhere will be the same temperature. Over the next 100 years the temperature in summer, as far north as the Lake District, could rise to be the same as it is on the South Coast of England today. The South Coast could be even warmer. * The south and east may get drier which could mean that there will be more droughts. In other words the South East could experience Mediterranean summers and could cause a complete turn around for the tourist industry as less people would be going abroad due to warmer temperatures they can get in the Southern parts of the country. What this means is that less people would be going abroad as they will be saving costs because they will be receiving the same weather in the same country so there would not be a need for them to go abroad. The north and west may get even wetter and there could be more storms and floods. * Many animals and plants may not be able to cope with the rising temperature and may move north as it will be cooler there than in the south. There might not be room for all of them so some might not survive. Global warming would damage wildlife ecosystems as they are being forced to migrate away from their homes. * Due to the rising
Human impacts at the coast intended to stabilise a coastline can also lead inadvertently to increased coastal erosion. Discuss.
Human impacts at the coast intended to stabilise a coastline can also lead inadvertently to increased coastal erosion. Discuss. I LOVE SIMPSON!!!! Human impacts at the coast intended to stabilise a coastline can also lead inadvertently to increased coastal erosion. Discuss. Because of the high concentration of settlements, industries, transport facilities and recreational developments on coastlines, the pressures placed on coastal landforms are often acute (Nordstrom, 1994). Because of this humans have resorted to protecting their coastlines. There are many ways in which this has been undertaken, some of these protection methods work better than others. Some methods actually do slow down the effect of coastal erosion but some methods dramatically increase the speed of coastal erosion causing major devastation at a slow rate. This will not always happen at the point of the coastal defence though. The area intended to be saved may well be saved but further along the coast the effects of the defence could be very large. In this essay I am going to investigate whether or not the question posed "human impacts at the coast intended to stabilise a coastline can also lead inadvertently to increased coastal erosion" is true or not and, if true, what human impacts on the coast produce the worst outcome when it comes to increasing coastal erosion. There are many types of
Assessment of Indoor Environment.
University of Brighton School of the Environment Built Environment Area 2001-2002 BE240 INDOOR ENVIRONMENT 2 Assessment of Indoor Environment Student No. 98209214 Neil Anstee Introduction Thermal comfort A description, "the condition of mind that expresses satisfaction within the environment." CIBSE Guide Section A 1999 The factors that can determine comfort, are, measured singularly yet will work in combination. Thus giving us our indoor micro climate. An indoor climate is heavily influenced by the outdoor climate, and the combination of these factors determines what a humans judgement may be. Many scientists, rely on systematic analysis of thermal sensations. Yet in some ways one can obtain suitable judgement in public places, of getting experimental subjects to express their perception of the thermal environment, on a suitable scale while an experimenter measures their actual thermal environment. Light Environment Light, besides being indispensable for visual perception of the surrounding space for where work and leisure, also regulates metabolic and immuniological processes in the human body. Many artificial light sources do not produce the same photochemical responses in man as natural daylight. New layout concepts for relatively new buildings, produce deep rooms with low ceilings, (similar to that of the two canteens, 'Mezzanine' and 'Mithras
Critically evaluate the work of the Environment Agency for England And Wales.
Critically evaluate the work of the Environment Agency for England And Wales. For many years before the creation of the Environment Agency, there are number of different agencies involved in environmental protection; the National Rivers Authority in relation to water quality and other operational functions; the Waste Regulation Authorities in relation to the regulation of waste management; and Her Majesty's inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP) in relation to controls over emissions from industrial processes. In 1989, the House of Commons Select Committee on the environment, in its report, recommended that an environmental protection commission should be established with responsibility for the whole range of pollution control matters. But the government rejected this recommendation. However, in July 1991, the government announced that it's intention to create a unified environmental protection agency to recentralisation of many regulatory powers, certainly within England and Wales. After some debated, the government accepted that the Environment Agency would take over all the powers and functions of HMIP and the NRA, together with the waste regulation duties of the local authorities. The Environment Agency was established by the 1995 Environment Act and fully became operational on 1 April 1996, and has a key role in improving our environment. After six year in operation, their
Floods in the UK - October/Autumn 2000
Floods in the UK - October/Autumn 2000 Causes The floods in 2000 were caused by heavy rainfall. The Autumn of 2000 was the wettest since records began in1766. In September 2000, some areas in the UK absorbed almost four times the usual amount of rainfall. The rainfall was brought by Atlantic storms. According to some newspaper reports the flooding was down to global warming. Michael Meacher, the environment minister, said that global warming was almost certainly "a contributory cause" of the extreme weather conditions. However, not all scientists agree with this theory. Dr Andy Baker of Newcastle University said, 'our research suggests that British rainfall is naturally highly variable... We have shown that nature is able to repeat current events without the help of global warming. Effects There was degradation in the road and rail infrastructure. Hospitals were evacuated because of the risk of disease and illness. Bridges across rivers were opened and closed erratically as the water level fluctuated. Homeowners hit by floods saw premiums rise by up to 60%, as brokers tried to claw back the costs of claims topping £200m. The Insurance companies were contemplating refusing insurance to those homes repeatedly hit by flood plains. The floods led to the highest ever number of severe flood warnings put in place after the number of weather related deaths in the period of
Environmental issues and the field of international relations
Introduction The change in the global climate will bring unprecedented consequences to the sensitive balances that sustain life of all forms and human life, in particular. Since the environment is an interconnected global ecosystem, protection of the global commons require international cooperation, as these problems do not stop at national borders. The purpose of this essay is providing an evolution of "green colonialism", in order to addresses a discussion on whether developed countries' environmental concern will harm and affect economic development in developing countries. The discussion addressed in this paper is firmly focused on economic considerations and their significance for international relation. The paper contains three parts. First, the essay provides an overview of the progress that developed countries have adapted in pursuit environmental economy. Subsequently, developing countries' perspectives are outlined in order to gain better understanding on why developing countries tread developed countries' environmental concern as Green colonialism. Lastly, some suggestions are made in order to help developing countries to achieve environmental management in favor of economic development. After Stockholm met in 1972, states have recognized that severely worsening environmental conditions are impeding economic development and creating significant health
"Understanding the Savanna".
"Understanding the Savanna" Robert Hudson Plants and the Environment CP210 08th April 2001 Definition of Savanna "A tropical formation where the grass stratum is continuous and important, but occasionally interrupted by trees and shrubs; the stratum is burnt from time to time and the main growth patterns are closely associated with alternating wet and dry seasons." (Bourliere and Hadley 1992) Introduction There is no commonly agreed definition of the word savanna. According to The Penguin Dictionary of Physical Geography (1984) the definition of savanna (savannah or savana) is a former Spanish term used universally to describe the world's tropical grasslands. However it is questionable whether the definition is definitive throughout the globe. According to Collinson (1988) the European definition of savanna is "a tropical grass-dominated formation with a greater or lesser proportion of open woody vegetation and associated trees". The same author suggests the North American definition does not limit its association to tropical systems. Collinson (1988) also argues the term originates from American Indians whereas Hopkins (1977) states the origin of the word can be traced to the West Indies. Regardless of the differing definitions and opinions of savanna there is no doubt the term is broad. Superficially savanna is regarded as a 'grassland'. However this general
A general increase of natural hazard impact?
Environmental hazards have always existed; we may think of the biblical account of The Deluge where people saw the Wrath of God as a punishment for their sins. Nowadays, human beings mainly rely on physical explanations rather than "Acts of God". However, there is a paradox between modernity, achievements in science and medicine and the human inability to minimize natural hazard impact. Images shown in media give the impression that hazards cause more and more damage. What about scientific reports? Is natural hazard impact getting worse worldwide and what are the reasons that explain these trends"? A retrospective view over the past decades is necessary to compare hazard impact between past and present but how far should we go back in history? On the one hand, it is worth asking if the world is becoming a more dangerous place. The hypothesis of a physical evolution of natural hazards may explain such a trend. On the other hand, is the human society becoming somehow more vulnerable to hazard? The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that reasons are more "human" than "physical" since the ideas of "hazard impact" and "humans" are strongly linked. First, the focus will be on a physical explanation of hazard impact. Global climate change and hazard characteristics will be developed. The idea of a single trend that would apply worldwide will be put to the question since there is a
This essay willdiscuss the role of the United Nations in assisting Small Island States adaptto climate change, making particular reference to Tuvalu and the 'environmentalrefugee' debate. 'Refugees', by definition are:
This essay will discuss the role of the United Nations in assisting Small Island States adapt to climate change, making particular reference to Tuvalu and the 'environmental refugee' debate. 'Refugees', by definition are: persons who, owing to a well-founded fear of persecution, by reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, are outside the country of their nationality and either unable or unwilling to return (Johnston et al., 2000, p680). The concept of 'refugees' was first legally formulated in the late twentieth century and there are two basic statutes relating to the definition of refugees; firstly the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees 1951, and secondly the United Nations Protocol, 1967. Neither of these statutes recognise people displaced by natural disasters, the so-called 'environmental refugee'. Climate change is threatening the existence of many Small Island States. Owing to the fact that many of these islands are low-lying atoll nations, they are the most vulnerable regions to accelerated sea level rise. With residential population on Small Island States generally concentrated within coastal zones any rise in sea level will displace these populations (Davissen and Long, 2003, p6). Tuvalu, in particular, is extremely vulnerable to even small rises in sea level (Gillespie