Benefit of forest fire- The main benefit of using prescribed burning as a technique to help the ecosystem is that the fire itself liberates nutrients tied up in dead biomass and also allows for new species to develop there that were not there before.
- Economic impact- it does not hurt the economy unless something goes awry. If the fire gets out of control then, just like a wildfire, it can have a costly outcome.
- Ecological impact- It liberates nutrients and is an agent of change. A prescribed burn produces "the kinds of vegetation and landscapes we want, and reduces the hazard of catastrophic wildfire caused by excessive fuel buildup."
- Human impact- Same as for economic. Nothing happens unless it gets out of control.
Cost of prescribed burning or a negative- A prescribed burn can easily get out of control and become a real danger and it also contributes to an increase in carbon dioxide because of the vast amount of burning that occurs.
- Economic impact- Can be very costly if not done correctly.
- Ecological impact- Increase in CO2, messes up soil, alters plant community structure
- Human impact- If a prescribed fire gets out of control then people can die
Global Nutrition Discussion-
The production of meat is more costly at a global level because of the use of fossil fuels and other energy. As it says in the powerpoint, back then during hunting/gathering the energy input was not that great since it was mainly human input. Human input is not as costly as fossil fuels which can never be used again. The energy subsidy of feedlot beef is above 10, but the energy subsidy of large-scale corn is 0.5! Meat production also requires more land as well. According to Peta.com, raising animals for food now uses up an astounding 30% of the Earth's land mass. Peta also says that
"It takes more than 11 times as much fossil fuel to make one calorie from animal protein as it does to make one calorie from plant protein"In terms of resources needed the production of meat is also largely inefficient. Yet again PETA pulling out the facts by saying
It takes up to 13 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of meat, and even fish on fish farms must be fed up to 5 pounds of wild-caught fish to produce 1 pound of farmed fish fleshand that
more than 70 percent of the grain and cereals that we grow in this country are fed to farmed animals.It is also more costly water-wise. It takes up more water to clean out the filth, to feed the load of animals, and to transport them than to simply grow crops.
It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat.The overall environmental impact of meat production is disgustingly huge. It puts a strain on the supply of clean water available, it cuts down on the amount of fossil fuels left, and takes up a lot of arable land. It also causes a lot pollution "According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the runoff from factory farms pollutes our waterways more than all other industrial sources combined."
Genetic Engineering Discussion-
GMOs or genetically modified organisms are a ruse. A tomato is not really as big as the ones you buy are, actually the one that you buy is a modified tomato and since it is modified it is now redder and bigger and juicier and maybe even healthier.
Some benefits of GMOs are
- Greater amount of that organism that are produced
- Quality is greater
- Reduction in pesticide use
- Reduction in world hunger
- Bigger profits
Some costs of GMOs are
- Safety of humans
- Effect on biodiversi
- Regulation or lack thereof
GMOs increase profit of the companies and help produce more in less time. GMOs also have a lesser need for pesticides and greater resistance to pests. This impacts the economy in a healthy manner by increasing profits and it also help the environment by not having to use pesticides. I don't see a downside to the increase in profits because there really is none. The downside to the resistance in pests is that the pesticide companies are now not needed so that is a downside for them. The environmental impact of a resistance to insects is good in that now the pests don't have to die. There is no downside to having a greater yield or reduction in world hunger. Those both impact the economy by mass producing the products and improving the economy.
Non GM crops are more expensive to buy and to produce, they use pesticides, and they expire a lot faster than regular crops.
Sustainable Agriculture Discussion-
No till agriculture- This method of farming helps prevent and even stop soil degradation by leaving crop residues there and not tilling the land after harvest. By not tilling the land the soil is less ably disturbed by outside forces that cause erosion. It is also more more efficient with human labor and even economically. Since one does not have to till the land it does not use up fuel that the machines used consume or energy of other fossil fuels thus an increase in profits, albeit minimal sometimes.
Contour plowing- Harvesting and plowing parallel to the land to prevent erosion. By plowing and harvesting along the contour lines soil erosion is prevented because, in most cases, it disrupts the heavy water run off that erodes the land and degrades the soil. It also helps by preserving the topsoil. Furthermore there is a decreased need for the use of fertilizer and artificial irrigation making it economically efficient as well
Sustainable Agriculture Discussion-
No till agriculture- This method of farming helps prevent and even stop soil degradation by leaving crop residues there and not tilling the land after harvest. By not tilling the land the soil is less ably disturbed by outside forces that cause erosion. It is also more more efficient with human labor and even economically. Since one does not have to till the land it does not use up fuel that the machines used consume or energy of other fossil fuels thus an increase in profits, albeit minimal sometimes.
Contour plowing- Harvesting and plowing parallel to the land to prevent erosion. By plowing and harvesting along the contour lines soil erosion is prevented because, in most cases, it disrupts the heavy water run off that erodes the land and degrades the soil. It also helps by preserving the topsoil. Furthermore there is a decreased need for the use of fertilizer and artificial irrigation making it economically efficient as well
Pest Management Discussion-
Integrated Pest Management- Using various farming techniques to mitigate and cut down on the use of pesticides.
Crop rotation- In this method the farmer rotates the crop every season to help his land and to reduce the amount of pests. In rotating the crops you give the crops better soil and nutrient to help it better shield itself of pests. If a farmer continues to use the same spot of land then he can exhaust that land and make it easier for pests to attack it. It gives time for the nutrients to grow back into the soil.
Intercropping- In this method two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time.
Both methods are more cost effective. Using pesticides is expensive and these two methods don't require pesticide use.
Human Impact- Humans are the main cause for the degradation or improvement of land. Our actions can have lasting consequences as learned throughout the unit. Fossil fuels don't last forever and the may expire soon. The way that cattle are kept in slaughterhouses has led to diseases such as E Coli and tainted meat. But humans have also come up with GMOs and better and more efficient ways to grow crops, produce food, and manage the land. Us humans are the only ones that can help the land yet we manage to hurt it as well. Humans caused the dust bowl by mistreating the land and it greatly impacted the people and the land.
Environmental Impact- The environment is a huge part of this unit and its impact is large. Pollution has an environmental impact or even salinization can largely impact a whole area of once arable land. Through salinization we learned that if some water used to irrigate has salt in it and it is used to over and over again then once the water evaporates then the land is left with salt and after a while it become inhospitable for plant. In our in class project the more salt we added proved instrumental in the growth or lack of growth in the radish seeds. The use of pesticides can harm the crops if the pesticide is overused thus leading to IPM that prevents the need of pesticides for the most part.
Economic Impact- Throughout the unit I also observed that the economy is also largely impacted. When we saw food inc. I realized that the reason that the large corporations treat the cattle in the slaughterhouse the way they do is to increase profit. Everything is centered around profit. Is it more efficient to farm this or that or this way or that way? It all comes down to profit and money and margin of utility. If the use of pesticides costs more than crop rotation then the farmer will farm his crops by rotating them. GMOs we learned are better because they help produce more for a lesser cost. The government also provides subsidies for farmers to help them produce a certain amount of crops.
Government Legislation- There are many government agencies that regulate a lot of the processes in discussed in unit 7. During the progressive era Roosevelt started coming up with National Parks which are protected areas where no hunting is allowed and everything is protected. The National Environmental Policy Act was introduced in 1970 to promote the betterment of the environment. The Environmental Impact Statement was put in place to help make better decisions when it comes to the environment. There is also the Environmental Mitigation Plan that makes sure that the developer outlines the damages that a project may cause and how he will deal with them.
Intercropping- In this method two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time.
"Intercropping works by attracting pests away from their host plant. Planting a variety of plant species on a field increases the distance between plants of the same species, making it harder for pests to target their main crop."
Both methods are more cost effective. Using pesticides is expensive and these two methods don't require pesticide use.
Human Impact- Humans are the main cause for the degradation or improvement of land. Our actions can have lasting consequences as learned throughout the unit. Fossil fuels don't last forever and the may expire soon. The way that cattle are kept in slaughterhouses has led to diseases such as E Coli and tainted meat. But humans have also come up with GMOs and better and more efficient ways to grow crops, produce food, and manage the land. Us humans are the only ones that can help the land yet we manage to hurt it as well. Humans caused the dust bowl by mistreating the land and it greatly impacted the people and the land.
Environmental Impact- The environment is a huge part of this unit and its impact is large. Pollution has an environmental impact or even salinization can largely impact a whole area of once arable land. Through salinization we learned that if some water used to irrigate has salt in it and it is used to over and over again then once the water evaporates then the land is left with salt and after a while it become inhospitable for plant. In our in class project the more salt we added proved instrumental in the growth or lack of growth in the radish seeds. The use of pesticides can harm the crops if the pesticide is overused thus leading to IPM that prevents the need of pesticides for the most part.
Economic Impact- Throughout the unit I also observed that the economy is also largely impacted. When we saw food inc. I realized that the reason that the large corporations treat the cattle in the slaughterhouse the way they do is to increase profit. Everything is centered around profit. Is it more efficient to farm this or that or this way or that way? It all comes down to profit and money and margin of utility. If the use of pesticides costs more than crop rotation then the farmer will farm his crops by rotating them. GMOs we learned are better because they help produce more for a lesser cost. The government also provides subsidies for farmers to help them produce a certain amount of crops.
Government Legislation- There are many government agencies that regulate a lot of the processes in discussed in unit 7. During the progressive era Roosevelt started coming up with National Parks which are protected areas where no hunting is allowed and everything is protected. The National Environmental Policy Act was introduced in 1970 to promote the betterment of the environment. The Environmental Impact Statement was put in place to help make better decisions when it comes to the environment. There is also the Environmental Mitigation Plan that makes sure that the developer outlines the damages that a project may cause and how he will deal with them.
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