Question
)Perform an internet search for the following video:
“TEDxOslo – Angela Morelli – The Global Water Footprint of Humanity”
Consider and discuss the following questions:
What should be included when calculating your water footprint?
Did some of the categories that contribute to your water footprint surprise you?
What are some ways that people can reduce their water footprint?
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2)Perform an internet search for the following video:
“David MacKay: A reality check on renewables”
Consider and discuss the following questions:
Can an increase in renewable energy production alone provide for all of our energy needs? Why or why not?
What are some things we as individuals can do to help balance energy supply and energy needs?
______________________________________________________________
3)Perform an internet search for the following video:
“Dan Barber: How I fell in love with a fish”
Consider and discuss the following questions:
Identify some unsustainable and sustainable aquacultural practices highlighted in this talk.
What surprised you?
Answer
Environmental Issues
In almost everything that a human person consumes or uses, water is a major component and every important to them. Water footprint refers to the production or supply of the goods and services utilized by a particular person or rather a group of individuals. To the surprise of many people, they require far much less water to survive than they think. The ultimate goal of this calculation is to reduce human water footprint by 20% or more and sticking to the commitment of consuming as a small portion of water as possible. The measures of a nation’s water footprint are the measures of all water that is used in a country ranging from industrial applications to domestic uses in that one particular country (Yearley, 2014). Thus, a country’s water footprint can be divided into three broad categories that include national water used for domestic consumption, national water used for food and goods and foreign water used to produce goods for export.
Question 1
In every action and component that man uses, he needs to use water. To be able to calculate how much human consume water in their daily lives the calculator has to put into account all the ways and methods that person uses water there is the need to calculate the amount of water that he uses for domestic chores that include cleaning, cooking and bathing. Additionally, the amount of water utilized in the production of industrial products that are later consumed by all people around the world (Dunlap, 2014). Finally, there is the need to calculate the amount of water that is used in processing food in the human body. Most of the water that a person uses is used in the food processing.
Some of the categories that constitute to human water footprint were a surprise to me considering that I did not expect them to be so important. Examples of that class include water that is used to produce industrial goods. The best way to reduce the amount of water that we consume is by changing our eating habits especially to those who love eating meat. Consumption of green food reduces the need for more water in the human body.
Question 2
Renewable resources are naturally replaced and can be used again. An increase in renewable resources alone in our specific countries and the world, in general, cannot provide for all our energy needs. Considering the unevenly and scarce renewable energy resources, it was difficult to satisfy the ever-growing energy needs. Moreover, to improve and increase these energy sources will incur a significant cost and cover more land than necessary (Yearley, 2014). Thus, the human needs for power are far much more than what the renewable resources can offer.
However, there are various things that individuals can do to help balance the supply of energy and energy uses. Some of these things may be seen as little and can be neglected, but they contribute to a reduction of power consumed. They include efficient transportation by use of cars that do not consume lots of energy, efficient heating, reducing leakages and efficiency offing.
Question 3
Sustainability and unsustainability of fish farming solely depend on the nature of the firm fish and the ecological environment around the company. Sustainability of fish depends on the feeding practice and lifecycle habits and the operation of the firm. Examples of sustainability in this talk include fish meal, chicken feathers that are given to the fish, the flamingoes feeding on the fish and bone meal. On the other hand unsustainability in this talk includes contamination of the fish from other fishes that may be carried from the river and the ocean. Moreover, human activities are another factor, and that includes complete reverse of the ecological system near the fish farm (Pradier, 2014).
What surprises me most is how a firm, can measure the success regarding success of their predators. In the normal world, this would be considered as a loss. The flying of birds to and from the fish firm is another surprising factor about this particular business.
References
Dunlap, R. E. (2014). American environmentalism: The US environmental movement, 1970-1990. . Taylor & Francis.
Pradier, J. P. (2014). Carbon dioxide chemistry: environmental issues. . Elsevier.
Yearley, S. (2014). The Green Case (Routledge Revivals): A Sociology of Environmental Issues, Arguments and Politics. Routledge.
