[Devil's Advocate] The Great Global Warming Swindle

Before I get into the documentary, let me just say that I'm kicking off the blog cycle with what is probably the opposite of what everyone else will be posting over the next two weeks. I tried finding "Not Evil Just Wrong" (made by the same people making "FrackNation"), but couldn't so I stuck with the documentary "The Great Global Warming Swindle". Right, on to the graded part of the blog post! The rest of the post is after the page break since I kind of wrote an essay. Sorry, my bad.

[Devil's Advocate] The Problem with Recycling (Article and Link is Orange)

Can Recycling Be Bad for the Environment?

Waste water from recycling paper.

Summary:
This article is about recycling, but rather than positively, the author takes a negative view. The article at the beginning admits that the idea of recycling is good and in the beginning it did seem good to renew used resources. That's about as positive as the article gets. It then says that while recycling rates are rising fast, consumption of resources is also rising. This is because "American consumers assuage any guilt they might feel about consuming mass quantities of unnecessary, disposable goods by dutifully tossing those items into their recycling bins and hauling them out to the curb each week." The article uses the plastic industry as an example, saying that while it tells the public to recycle plastics, the industry also helps consumers justify the use of plastics by believing anything they toss will be recycled and everything will be better. 

When the demand for a recycled material drops, it is then stored in a warehouse with the hopes of demands rising again. If demands don't rise however, the material is sometimes dumped into a landfill which is where the materials would have gone anyways. Another problem with recycling is that people need to recycle things correctly for it to work. Someone has to first dispose the right materials correctly, then it has to be collected, and then the recyclers have to find someone to sell the recycled products to.Some things can be recycled but aren't because of the chance of cross mixing with something else. The article uses the example of PVC and PET, both look alike but will cause a brown resin if mixed, which then has to be thrown out as waste. This is the same reason bio-plastics aren't recycled either.


Another problem with recycling is the emissions from the recycling centers. The amount of greenhouse gases emitted is greater than if people were simply told to use less resources. Even with low energy recycling processes like glass and plastic, the particles emitted are still pollutants. In a recent study, it is shown that recycling centers were one of the Oakland's polluters.

Opinion:
I find that this article is informative, and unlike a lot of things I've read before finding this article, it actually has links to external sources. I find it strange to think that what we've considered good for the environment may actually be negative. The idea that even after all the energy used to recycle something it may still end up in a landfill, not by consumers but by the recycling plant. The main problem with this is that it would have been less energy to just throw out the item. This article is not going to stop me from recycling completely, but I'm probably going to think through what would have the least impact first.

Questions:

1. Is this article lying or are the pro-recycling articles lying?
2. Is it possible to develop a more efficient way to recycle in the future?
3. Is there anything people should still recycle even with the problems?
4. Is it weird to watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic? How about Legend of Korra?

I've Got 99 Problems and My Thirst Is One

 The Future of U.S. Water Supplies is Anything But Certain
By Climate Control (Not really sure if this counts as the author)
http://news.opb.org/article/the_future_of_u.s._water_supplies_is_anything_but_certain/
 
Summary:
The author believes that the water availability in the United States is decreasing. This is due to factors such as global warming, pollution, a rising population, and natural droughts. While most people associate access problems to third-world countries, the US may also be getting problems. For the last ten years, the US Southwest has been suffering from droughts and high water demands. Because the Colorado River is being overused, water distribution arguments have sprung up. In the Southeast, water has been highly restricted due to resource overuse, population boom, and poor weather. This is all foreshadowing for future issues. As polar ice melts into the ocean due to global warming, the sea water will start to rise. This will mix it with the country's drinking water supplies. This is a problem because of how polluted sea water has become and how high the salinity level is.

Opinion/ Reflection:
I found the article shocking when it said that we may be having water problems in the US since when we think of water issues we think of Africa or India. The problems that are the cause of the water issue are all things we are/ will be learning about. We already discussed how human population growth may be a problem, but we didn't discuss how the water supply in America may be affected. We will be talking about global warming later. I found it interesting that the biggest problems were in the Southern part of the United States. This means that if global warming continues, we in the North may also be getting water shortages. With temperatures like last summer, water shortages may not be that far away.

Questions:

1. Is there any way that we could prevent a United States water shortage?
2. How concerned should we be with this issue?
3. Is it too late to prevent an issue/ Were there any warning signs to hint to a possible water shortage?
4. Do we have responsibility to supply the drought areas in the US with water?
5. Do you like green eggs and ham?

Most northerly sighting on Harlequin Ladybird on Shetland

  

by David Miller

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-17156743

Summary:

The harlequin ladybird (ladybug) has been spotted in Shetland, which the furthest north the species has been spotted. It is an invasive species from Asia that was brought to mainland Europe to eat aphids. The ladybirds then spread to southern England and kept moving north. The harlequin ladybirds are competing with native ladybird species, even eating the competition's eggs and larva. While the weather is too cold in Shetland for the ladybirds to start populating, it shows how far the species can spread. Scientists are asking the public to record online where they spot harlequin ladybirds, with over 40,000 people reporting a sighting since 2005.

Opinion:

I find it interesting how a small insect can get from mainland Europe all the way to a northern part of the UK. That would involve going over large bodies of water and traveling many miles. It is also strange how the harlequin ladybird actually eats the young of its competitors, which could lead to it wiping out an entire population and taking over. This shows how harmful and difficult to stop an invasive species can get. The use of the internet to keep track of invasive species seems like it would be useful, seeing how social media is taking over society.

Questions:

1. Do you believe species should be introduced to the environment to combat pests or other introduced species?
2. What do you think is the most effective way to stop or track an invasive species?
3. Do you think that invasive species can eventually become native species, meaning we should not stop their spread?
4. Should we, Americans, be concerned of invasive species in other continents?
5. What is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything?