The Dust of Africa.

I just read an article about the transportation of Saharan dust from Africa to South America and the Caribbean. It said that there was enough dust coming over that it exceeded the world health organization's limits. This means that the air become difficult to breathe. I do not believe that this is such a huge problem. I was recently in the US Virgin Islands and I experienced the dust. It was to the point where you could see it in the air when you were on the ocean but other then that you would have never known it was there! This has been going on for years so I don't think anything can be done about except to wear masks if its really that bad!


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140819094059.htm

In coal states, Democrats seek distance from emissions plan

The President’s plan to reduce carbon emissions will not take effect for several years. However in Congress various politicians have taken opposition to the bill. States like Kentucky and West Virginia receive almost all of their electrical energy from coal. Coal is a huge part of these states economy, employing many state residents. It is clear that state representatives are influenced by their need to keep voter approval and continue to be reelected. The environment is not taken to be the true focus of this issue. Politicians must take an opposition to this if they want to continue their service on Capitol Hill. This may be one of the ultimate flaws of governmental process and why environmental reform has been so slow. Politicians must choose the right decision that is good for the American people. Not just to save their own Jobs. This does not go without saying that States that depend on coal in their economy won’t take a hit, but environmental reform need to address the unemployment issue with regards to the American people as a whole.http://video.pbs.org/video/2365259788/

California imposes mandatory water restrictions

The state of California has restricted water use in response the state’s extreme drought. Other States throughout the Midwest have taken similar actions but California is in a much more extreme situation. On August first regulation was enforced to fine citizens up to 500 dollars for wasting water on lawns and car washing. California is now in their third year of one of the worst droughts. The Governor has rolled back endangered fish protection to allow pumping from the states river deltas. The drought is expected to create a loss of up to 2.2 million dollars and 17,000 jobs. Citizens has neglected to reduce their water consumption. This could push legislatures to take a more abrasive approach to reducing water consumption. It is clear that action must be taken by the government and by the citizens of California.http://video.pbs.org/video/2365290045/

Recycling old car batteries into solar cells

Researchers at MIT have found spearheaded a process to use materials from old car batteries to make more resilient Solar panels, form of pollution free renewable energy.  Perovskite is a compound that is fairly new in terms of solar energy. In just three years researchers have taken this compound from laboratory testing to an efficiency that rivals other solar technologies. However for this compound’s reaction to take place lead must be present. The process by which lead is obtained releases toxic residues. Lead is present in car batteries. By recycling the used car battery for its lead it fills the need for the solar energy and keeps harmful pollutants out of the environment. The team has found that the lead from one car battery can supply enough solar panels to power thirty households for decades to come. Breakthrough such as these are what will solve the energy crisis. The work of independent universities and scientists is what will solve the energy crisis.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140818113428.htm

Climate Change Harming Butterfly Species

Researchers have found that many brown angus butterflies have migrated north because of a recent climate change. This has caused a change in the butterflies’ diets, and they have started to become more dependent on wild Geranium plants. Dr. Jon Bridle, a researcher involved in the study, explained that even though it is beneficial for the butterflies to evolve quickly enough to change their diet in response to a warmer climate, variations in certain important traits may disappear. Some butterfly species are not even able to adapt to the climate change as quickly as the brown angus butterflies because of their restrictive diets and may die. One solution for this problem is to reduce the effects we have on climate, however this will be hard because many people don’t agree that our planet is undergoing climate changes and global warming. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140818113213.htm

Why the Amazons Biggest Fish is Quickly Becoming Exticnt

http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/378d775797a6ea7b3568e7f442c78446.htm

The Arapaima is a more than four hundred pound fish in the Amazon River and is completely extinct in 8 basins in the river. The reason for this is over fishing because they need to come to the surface to breathe every 5-15 minutes which makes it easy for fisherman to catch them. The pink Amazon River dolphin is another animal becoming extinct and has become a reoccurring event in the Amazon River. A solution would be to inform fisherman that this huge fish is becoming extinct and to let it free if they happen to catch it. One way to do this could be to post signs along the river and monitor fishing areas along it. Another way would be to make it illegal to catch the Arapaima and other nearly extinct fish in the river and charge a fine to whoever is caught killing it. A barrier to this problem is that it would be incredibly hard to monitor the whole Amazon River and most people would try to get away with it. Making it illegal to catch it would also make the fish very rare and more valuable. I believe that things like this should at least be attempted though because we do not need more animal becoming extinct.

Bottled water's environmental impacts

The bottled water industry has grown vastly in the past decades, and the major companies are increasingly starting to use water from drought stricken areas. Some of the top water bottling companies are bottling water from sources in California, an area hit hard by drought in the past few years. Draining water from already drought hit areas is not even their worst crime against the environment, millions of plastic water bottles each year end up in landfills and waterways across the world. A solution to this problem could be to regulate areas from which bottling companies can take water. Another solution could include greater consumer awareness of the environmental impacts of bottled water, and the safety of their normal tap water.

 http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/47696